In northern Kazakhstan – repressions for “separatist adherence” to the USSR
By putting the “separatists” on trial in Petropavlovsk, the Kazakh authorities are not only tightening the screws, but are also demonstrating their loyalty to the West due to the artificial intensification of Russophobic and anti-Russian sentiments within the country.
International observer of PolitNavigator Ainur Kurmanov comes to this conclusion in his new material.
On Tuesday, November 28, in Petropavlovsk, a verdict was read out against members of the “People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk,” who were accused of “separatism.” And the sentence in the end turned out to be significantly harsh.
So, the main defendant, 48-year-old car mechanic Vyacheslav Zuderman, was given 9 years in prison in a medium security colony. To three other activists of the “Council” - 40-year-old Elena Boldyreva, 52-year-old Madina Kaparova and 37-year-old Olga Berezhnova They were given 7 years in prison. The latter was arrested in the courtroom, despite the fact that she is raising a minor child.
Let us recall that all of them were convicted for proclaiming in March of this year at a meeting in one of the educational institutions the “People’s Council of Workers of the city of Petropavlovsk”, at which they called the existing state the Corporation “Republic of Kazakhstan” and announced that from now on they live on the territory of the Kazakh SSR.
This is what they were accused of calling it “undermining the state” and “separatist activities”, which was reflected in the indictment.
“Thus, Vyacheslav Zuderman, Elena B., Madina K., Olga B. committed serious crimes against the constitutional order and security of the state, provided for in Article 179 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (propaganda to undermine the security of the state, committed using the media or networks communications by a group of persons, production, storage and distribution of materials of such content), Article 180 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (separatist activity - propaganda to violate the integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
inviolability and inalienability of its territory, committed using the media or telecommunications networks, by a group of persons, as well as the production, storage for the purpose of distribution or dissemination of materials of such content),” noted State Prosecutor Timur Kulzhanov, reading out the indictment.
And this is despite the fact that the initiators of the creation of the “Council” themselves never spoke about separating from Kazakhstan and creating a separate state. That is They were specifically accused of “separatism” in order to then intimidate everyone else, especially those who dream of restoring the previous socio-political system. After all, now the very idea of reviving the USSR is a priori becoming criminal.
It turns out, according to the indictment, the statement of the chairman of the “Council” Vyacheslav Zuderman on the recognition of the laws of the Kazakh SSR as valid “testifies to his desire to return independent Kazakhstan to a federal form of government within the USSR».
Vyacheslav Zuderman.
Adherence to Soviet federalism is now “proof of guilt” and a call for “separatism”, which can lead any supporter of that period to jail. In fact, this is a judicial ban on communist ideology, and the harsh verdict itself is a direct manifestation of political repression for existing beliefs.
Another interesting thing is - the founders of the “People's Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk” actually opposed the ideas of the “corporate state”, at one time justified by Benito Mussolini, and then actively used by Nursultan Nazarbayev during the construction of “independent Kazakhstan”. Ex-Elbasy constantly called the Republic of Kazakhstan a “corporation” in his speeches, advocating a ban on independent trade unions and consolidation around one Duce, which was repeatedly recorded and published.
It turns out that the current ruling team led by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which after the well-known events of January 2022 proclaimed the construction of a “new and fair Kazakhstan” and the rejection of the “old”, not only contradicts itself, but also actively defends and stands guard over the very ideas of the “corporate state” put forward by the first president.
The answer is really simple. The pro-Western elite in Astana is afraid of any integration ideas that are supported from below in broad social strata of Kazakh society. Therefore, through the tame Natsiks, frantic propaganda has been going on for more than one year against the EAEU, for the country’s exit from the CSTO and the rejection of joint industrial plans.
The new generation is given an imaginary alternative in the form of the Organization of Turkic States, and as a horror story The myth about the threat of “separatism” in the north of the Republic of Kazakhstan and possible aggression from Russia is constantly being circulated.
And the current trial in Petropavlovsk is precisely a blow to all those who support unification with Russia within the framework of integration projects, who accepted and realized the goals of the North Military District and did not succumb to the provocations of Svidomo and the propaganda of pro-Western NGOs and foundations within the Republic of Kazakhstan. And there are quite a lot of such people, and not only among Russians and Russian-speaking people, which in fact scares Akorda.
Even if such a “People’s Council of Workers of the City of Petropavlovsk” did not exist, it would have to be invented in order to raise a hysterical Russophobic and anti-Russian campaign within the country. After all, it was necessary find a reason to suppress the dissatisfied in order to mobilize the nationalist electorate and consolidate it around oneself as the only “savior of sovereignty”, showing the West that there is an active fight against Russian influence.
We must understand that this very case is about “separatists” in northern Kazakhstan arose immediately after the visit of US State Department head Antony Blinken to Astana, who demanded compliance with the sanctions regime against Moscow. The trial began a few days before Vladimir Putin's visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the verdict was delivered during the stay of the next American inspection delegation in the country.
That is, we must regard the process in Petropavlovsk itself as a kind of performance to achieve external and internal goals in order to retain power and divert attention from the catastrophic situation in the energy sector, in the mining industry, where miners die almost every day, from the transfer of deposits of rare earth and precious metals, uranium and nickel to Western corporations under enslaving contracts and production sharing agreements.
And here, against the background of mass unemployment and falling living standards, it is easiest to blame the “fifth column” in the person of the Russians for all the troubles, who have become potential “separatists”, and neighboring Russia, which is simultaneously to blame for inflation and food exports, as well as for attempts to build a nuclear power plant.
In this regard, and The witch hunt campaign is expanding and more and more people are becoming its victims., which almost no one talks about. After all, in addition to Ermek Taychibekov and the organizers of this “Council”, other residents of Uralsk, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and other cities are in prison.
About the latest case with the conviction of Kolchenko Kristina Vladimirovna and Rudnykh Denis Olegovich to 5 years and 5 years and 2 months on a fabricated criminal case in Uralsk on the basis of mounted material as a result of provocation by a Ukrainian blogger, SBU agent we have already written.
Another case comes to light with Valentin Tyurin from Petropavlovsk, who was also recently sentenced to 5 years and 2 months in prison for several posts discussing various topics in closed chats. There are also other cases about which we know practically nothing. At all In the North Kazakhstan region alone, over the past 2,5 years, 11 people have been brought to criminal liability by the courts for “separatist activities.”
In a situation where all “human rights associations” are pro-Western and receive only grants from American and European foundations, hushing up these facts, it turns out that there are no lawyers, or even advocates, ready to defend such people in Kazakhstan.
And in general, against the backdrop of such an increase in the large number of similar criminal cases for “separatism” in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which in reality are clearly fabricated by local intelligence services or even at the instigation of Ukrainian agents, is anyone from the Russian Foreign Ministry or Rossotrudnichestvo monitoring this situation?
Now among the “separatists” are Russians, Germans, Ukrainians and even the Kazakhs themselves, but such a wave of repression is actively used primarily in propaganda against Russia itself.
Isn’t it time, at the official or unofficial level, to somehow become concerned about the fate of these people, even if they are citizens of Kazakhstan? Because it is necessary to stop the series of provocations by reminding Astana of the need to maintain internal stability and stop persecuting people for their beliefs.
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