(A poster of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev hangs in the scorched city hall building, where Kazakh troops and police clashed with protesters just days before. Photo courtesy of Vasily Krestyaninov)
“Our Wi-Fi got worse and worse. The next day, people were saying there was a protest, and then the Wi-Fi got turned off completely and we were blind to the situation. We got our news from pretty much nothing, except for a 10-minute gap of Wi-Fi that we had at night."
After a significant hike in gas prices in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan during the first week of January, isolated, nonviolent protests progressed into nationwide riots against government corruption and poor living conditions. In response, the Kazakh government cut communications between the Kazakh people and the outside world.
While visiting family and friends in Kazakhstan, Michael— who chose to go by that name to protect his identity— a Redwood alum currently attending College of Marin, began to notice issues with the Wi-Fi.
“I was supposed to go to [stay with] other family friends, but our Wi-Fi [at home] got worse and worse; by the end of the day, it shut off,. The one time that we got our Wi-Fi back for a few minutes, we were like, ‘Oh, it was just our Wi-Fi that got turned off.'" Michael said, calling from Kazakhstan over an encrypted communications app. "But the next day, people were saying there was a protest, and then the Wi-Fi got turned off completely and we were blind to the situation. We got our news from pretty much nothing, except for a 10-minute gap of Wi-Fi that we had at night."
Localized internet outages began around Jan. 3, and by Jan. 4, a complete nationwide internet blackout was reported. Within hours, the blackout was followed by a shutdown of cable operators in Kazakhstan’s most populated cities, blockages of major internet service providers and disabling of most social media and messaging services such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Signal.
“Everybody started calling people [to ask what happened]. News was pretty much just word of mouth because some people lived [in cities with protests], so they saw them [firsthand]. They started calling their friends and it spread pretty fast. After that, our Wi-Fi got shut down completely,” Michael said.
At 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 5, authorities initiated another seven-hour internet blackout, lifting it only for a televised announcement that Russian security forces would be arriving to quell the protests. The blackout was then reinstated and lasted for another 13 hours.
“With the Wi-Fi shutdown, I cannot say for sure, but I think that [the protests] were peaceful, and then something happened. They called the army [and] the police. And then after that, it became non-peaceful,” Michael said.
Over the course of the week, both reports of violent unrest and more comprehensive internet shutdowns increased. Military and law enforcement forces were sent in greater numbers to combat the protesters, and on Jan. 7, reports arose that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had issued an order to “shoot to kill without warning.”
According to a Jan. 25 release by the General Prosecutor's Office of Kazakhstan, at least 225 protesters were killed and 4,300 injured since Jan. 5. Currently 898 detainees face various criminal charges, including terrorism and mass rioting, with an additional 63 already sentenced. Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims to have received dozens of reports of unlawful arrests and mistreatment of detainees, as detailed in a Feb. 1 statement by Europe and Central Asia director Hugh Williamson.
“Kazakhstan’s arbitrary detentions of peaceful protests and abuse of detainees is a cause for deep concern,” Williamson said. “Kazakh authorities should immediately put a stop to the abuses, ensure that every detainee’s rights are protected and bring to justice those who beat or tortured them.”
The violence persisted, only beginning to subside around Jan. 11. The violence was reportedly the deadliest experienced by Kazakhstan since it declared its independence from the USSR in 1991.
(Arresting a peaceful protester in Almaty, Kazakh security forces are facing accusations of excessive use of force. Photos courtesy of Vladimir Tretyakov.)
World History, Geography and Social Issues teacher Nickolai Butkevich explained the complexity of the historical and political context surrounding the situation.
“We see uprisings where people are upset about gas prices… But under the surface, it looks like the president, [Tokayev,] who was a pawn of the former leader [Nursultan Nazarbayev,] finally took real power,” Butkevich said.
Nazarbayev served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1990 to 2019 and has remained in office as the chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan since 1991. Due to accusations of rigged elections and Nazarbayev’s “cult of personality”— he dedicated numerous monuments, public holidays, parks, streets and Kazakhstan’s official capital, Nur-Sultan, to himself—, his presidency is considered by many to have been a dictatorship. His continued political power throughout close alliance with Tokayev is one target of the recent unrest.
(Nazarbayev, left, shakes hands with Tokayev, right. Photo courtesy of the Kazakh Presidential Palace.)
“[Nazarbayev was] stepping back and using Tokayev as his frontman, and having a role where he would let [Tokayev] do the day-to-day stuff. [Nazarbayev] would intervene only on big issues or if his wealth, power, connections, friends or family were threatened,” Butkevich said. “Those sorts of games that are under the surface, they’re not covered enough in our media.”
Butkevich addresses the issue of accurate media coverage, a significant factor to consider when examining global issues such as the unrest in Kazakhstan.
“I think the big difference for me is what the U.S. reporting I’ve seen is lacking, which is the clue inside of the uprising,” Butkevich said.
This “clue” is deeply rooted in the complicated aforementioned political troubles. Butkevich states that complexity is one reason for limited analysis in western media.
“When you have governments like [Kazakhstan], the tendency to have theories and speculation is very strong. I think a lot of western media sources are a lot more reluctant to cite that, or even mention that, for obvious reasons. Other sources are used to saying, ‘Well, we're never going to really know the truth, but here are some possible theories.’ That's like a normal approach in Russian [news],” said Butkevich.
Butkevich describes how getting his news from these other sources has helped him to form a more comprehensive and relevant understanding of the issue as a whole.
“I’ve been following the news pretty closely, mostly from a YouTube channel that has Central Asia news that I watch, a Russian radio station I listen to that's independent, it's not government-controlled, and a few English-language websites. I used to work in that part of the world, so I still keep up-to-date,” said Butkevich.
The Youtube channel he is referring to is Настоящее Время (translated: Current Time), a Russian-language project by the greater Current Time publication, which describes itself on its English-language website as “a 24/7 television and digital network for Russian speakers, led by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in cooperation with Voice of America.”
Current Time is one of few news sources that has provided direct, on-the-ground reporting of unrest in Kazakhstan. Butkevich emphasizes the value and effectiveness of that style.
“In Kazakhstan, the internet was cut off. No one else could report but this YouTube channel found a way to do it. They’re putting microphones in people's faces, and they were on camera and they were saying things critical of the government because the face that was looking at them was a Kazakh face. Someone who spoke their language and who looks like them,” Butkevich said.
According to Butkevich, this direct, unbiased international reporting is vital to a greater understanding of global issues: an idea that he hopes to instill in his students.
“I tell my students that if you have an international story, it's a good idea to check at least one international source… hopefully, my students or former students could look at something like that and say, ‘Oh, this is kind of like the situation we learned about in school.’” Butkevich said.
Senior and President of Model United Nations Nicole Hoezle also believes that Americans need to recognize the importance of such international issues in order to obtain a broader global perspective.
“I think it's interesting for us to see from the country where the issues are happening, such as Kazakhstan, what the people and the journalists [who are living] there are saying,” Hoezle said. “Learning what's going on from the people there is really important.”
Hoezle also states that American media and consumers should not overlook global issues simply because they don’t seem to affect America.
“It’s also crucial for us to say that [Kazakh] issues are just as important and complex as American issues are. Even though we might say, ‘Well, it has nothing to do with us.’ It has everything to do [with us]. Those decisions and stuff that's happening in that country will impact the U.S. socially, politically and economically,” Hoezle said.
The protests, having risen over rising oil prices, highlight one of the major economic issues that Hoezle claimed will impact the U.S..
“Kazakhstan has a lot of oil reserves that provide oil to lots of big powers, like the U.S., and they’re nestled near Russia and China. They want to have a good relationship with those countries,” Hoezle said.
Butkevich emphasized this relationship between Kazakhstan and major world powers and adds that these concerns are not only relevant now, but will be critical in the future.
“We should care [about Kazakhstan] as Americans, because the competition between China and the U.S. is going to be a big defining issue for the century to come. And not only is [China] a dictatorship, but they have very close ties with Kazakhstan. So, what happens to Kazakhstan is important to China, and whatever happens to China, is important to us,” Butkevich said.
As the results of unrest in Kazakhstan continue to unfold, the relevance of the issue and its context is ever-present on the global state. Butkevich wants to make sure that Redwood students will not ignore its significance.
“When I teach about dictatorships, I try to pull in modern examples, but I think just learning from history is important for students to understand. And where they learn it, I try to do that more with my ninth-grade class,” said Butkevich.
Though large-scale American news may fall short in comprehensively covering complex issues, according to Butkevich, students have shown promising skills in media literacy.
“I find that the students, particularly the freshmen, are better at distinguishing between, not just fake news and credible sources, but also the stuff that's in-between or picking up on biases, like with these complex issues,” said Butkevich. "I think they're better than they were five years ago.”
“I find that the students... are better at distinguishing between, not just fake news and credible sources, but also the stuff that's in-between...I think they're better than they were five years ago.”
From his perspective in Kazakhstan, Michael is glad that information about Kazakhstan is able to be shared outside of the country and is hopeful the situation will improve soon.
“Our news was mostly word of mouth, but it definitely spread the word when people started reporting about it [outside of Kazakhstan],” Michael said. “In the next couple of weeks, I think that the situation should slow down. The government has already started implementing changes.”
Michael believes that the greater implications of unrest in Kazakhstan extend beyond the borders, and hopes that more people will appreciate that when he returns to California.
“What I’ll say is that, people can make change,” Michael said. “This proves that people are able to make some changes collectively.”