August 2020
- simon land
- Aug 23, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 6, 2020
Radio Free Europe
Tags: Kazakhstan China protest
Serik Azhibai was detained for a one-person protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan. Not just reacting to news from North-West China or campaigning for the release of relatives, the protest was also about comments from a Chinese diplomat that Azhibai deemed to be disrespectful of Kazakhstan’s sovereignty. Comment: There is a pattern of arresting people critical of China and the ‘reeducation camps’ in Kazakhstan. Key Quote: “Anti-China protests in Kazakh towns and cities that have become frequent in recent years challenged China's growing presence in the economy of Kazakhstan and denounced widespread incarceration of the indigenous Turkic-speaking communities in Xinjiang, including Kazakhs and Uyghurs.” Connected: ‘My husband is not a terrorist’: A Kazakh from China testifies
Why Was a Solo Protester Jailed in Kazakhstan for Picketing a Chinese Consulate?Kazakh Activist Picketing Chinese Consulate In Almaty Detained Kazakhstan squeezes China critics as Xinjiang anxieties spread ________________________________________________________
Bitter Enemy
Tags: Protests Kazakhstan China Xinjiang
Bilash, who was successful in documenting and publicising ethnic Kazakhs detained in the Xinjiang mass incarceration system, has been arrested again. The charges derived from ownership of unregistered organisations. Rumours are that Chinese pressure is behind the court appearance. Key Quote: “The CCP has consistently exerted pressure on Kazakhstan to stop the activities of Bilash." ________________________________________________________
The Guardian Tags: Fashion China Xinjiang Reeducation A coalition of human rights groups denounced parts of the fashion world for using materials and products made by prisoners in the North-West internment program. As fashion companies source extensively from Xinjiang, the article claims that up to one in five cotton products are potentially produced by forced labour.
Comment: A possible change of winds in regards to awareness and potential boycotting of goods from Xinjiang. Key Quote: “An apparel brand that claims to know, with confidence, that all the farms and factories it uses in the region are free of forced labour is either deeply cynical or misinformed.”Scott Nova, executive director of the WRC Connected: Top brands urged to ditch suppliers 'implicated in Uighur forced labour'
Seized Human Hair Products From Xinjiang Provide Evidence of Persecution China Uighurs: A model's video gives a rare glimpse inside internment
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Observer Research Foundation
Tags: Trump China USA Geopolitics A piece that details some thoughts on possible issues and asctions of the USAS in Central Asia. Comment: This, of course, has the assumption that Trump is capable of instigating a coherent foreign policy and the discipline to stop his personal interests from colouring it. Key Quote: “The Trump administration further consolidated the relationship by garnering regional support for its Afghan policy”. - I am not sure who supported the US-Afghan policy anywhere outside of Trump’s inner circle and the Kremlin. Connected: Gray Zone Conflicts in Asia Pacific
COVID-19 Heats Up the New Great Game in Central Asia Discourses and Reality of New Great Game: Particularly focus on Kazakhstan
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