After a high-profile murder, intimate partner violence is once again punishable in Kazakhstan. While government repression is hitting women's rights activists hard, civil society is strengthening its voice through initiatives like NeMolchiKZ and art exhibitions that promote community dialogue.
In April 2024, strong public protests broke out after a high-profile murder case. The case involved former Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev who was convicted of torturing and murdering his wife Saltanat Nukenova. The murder of Nukenova was captured by a surveillance camera and the video attracted a lot of media attention.
Voices were raised with demands for stronger legal protection for victims of violence. In response, in April, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed into law amendments that reinstated the penalties for abuse of children and women as a previous president lifted in 2017. Then with the justification of preserving traditional family values.
The decriminalization had been heavily criticized by human rights organizations as it was feared to lead to increased violence against women and children and reduced legal aid for victims.
Resistance in the Shadow of Oppression: The Struggle for Women's Rights
The government of Kazakhstan has an ambivalent and often critical attitude towards civil society. They have implemented laws and regulations aimed at regulating and monitoring civilsacommunity activities.
Particular suspicion is directed at those who work with human rights and social issues. Activists and international organizations have reported reprisals, including harassment, arrests and other forms of persecution. One of them is Dina Smailova. She founded the organization NeMolchi after choosing to open up about a gang rape she survived 25 years earlier.
Smailova has since been a strong critic of the authorities' failure to protect women and children from gender-based violence. NeMolchi means "don't be silent", and aims to help women exposed to gender-based violence, push for legal changes, and otherwise support survivors.

In 2023, Kazakh authorities exerted pressure on NeMolchi. The police began investigating allegations of fraud against Dina Smailova, and thousands of people who havede donated money to NeMolchi were called in for questioning by the police. Smailova commented through NeMolchis Facebook page that this was the issue "political persecution". Uhonor 2024 has she applied for asylum in an unknown European country.
Silenced Voices: Growing Movements
Despite the uphill battle civil society is fighting in the country, they remain active. One of them is the student organization Art Revolution at KIMEP University in Almaty, which organized an opening in the spring.
The exhibition was called Tikha komnata, the silent room. Several students and artists exhibited works that spoke for the vulnerable position of women regardless of age, profession, and financial situation. The aim was to draw public attention to these issues.
Two people who participated with works of art in the exhibition were Dias Bulimissov and Zhaniya Fazylova. Dias says that the exhibition was dedicated to women and children in Kazakhstan.
- It was simply about everyday life. Domestic violence seems to be a very common thing in our country, he explains.

Zhaniya contributed to the exhibition with a series of photographs she named “Protracted silence”. She says that the distinguishing feature of the series is that the main character is no longer a quiet woman who is portrayed as a victim, but has a voice. A woman who decides to take control of her destiny. Zhaniya felt strongly about contributing to the exhibition.
- I am an artist, but first and foremost I am a woman who cares about the fate of other women. I myself had to observe and experience the consequences of actions carried out by men who were convinced that women were created solely to satisfy their own needs, she says.

Dias and Zhaniya highlight that the exhibition received positive reactions and was widely discussed in the media.
- The overall reaction was very positive and inspiring. It gave me an extreme amount of creative energy that has kept me moving forward with my craft,” says Dias.
After the opening, Zhaniya has been told about her art in two magazines, one of which is one of the largest in the country. She explains that this was a step in the right direction, as domestic violence is not something that is talked about openly in Kazakhstan.
- For a very long time, the topic of violence in Kazakhstan was mainly discussed only in narrow circles, among close friends or feminist organizations and meetings.
The participants' desire to express themselves and reflect artistically on the social problem testifies to a changing trend towards a more open dialogue on the subject. Dias says that the voices of civil society continue to work despite attempts to silence them.
- I think it was definitely a controversial topic for many of the guests at the opening. We have had some questions from them if we were afraid to talk about the subject. But we weren't, he concludes.