Marat Jylanbaev
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Marat Tolegenuly Zhylanbayev (, ; born 19 August 1963) is a Kazakh human rights activist, politician, and former long-distance runner. As an athlete, Zhylanbayev became known for running
Ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...
s across the largest deserts in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. After starting his political career in local politics in the city of
Ekibastuz Ekibastuz ( kk, Екібастұз, translit=Ekıbastūz, , ەكئباستۇز; russian: Экибастуз) is a city in Pavlodar Region, northeastern Kazakhstan. The population was Ekibastuz is served by Ekibastuz Airport. History The histor ...
from the late 1990s, Zhylanbayev became more widely known as an activist following the
2022 Kazakh unrest The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as Bloody January () or the January tragedy (), was a series of mass protests that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied gas prices following the lifting of a governm ...
, when he attempted to officially register his own political party "Alga, Kazakhstan!" (). In May 2023, he was arrested and charged with "financing extremist activities" and "participating in a banned extremist organisation"; he has since been described as a
political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their politics, political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, al ...
by
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...
and the
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...
.


Early life and education

Zhylanbayev was born into an
Argyn The Argyn ( kz, Арғын) tribe (or clan) is a constituent of the Kazakh ethnicity. The Argyn are a component, of the ''Orta jüz'' (Орта жүз; " Middle Horde" or "Middle Hundred"). Kazakhs historically consisted of three tribal federa ...
family on 19 August 1963 in Taldy,
Karkaraly District Karkaraly District ( kk, Қарқаралы ауданы, ) is a district of Karaganda Region in central Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Karkaraly. As of 2019, the district is home to a population of 36,025 peop ...
,
Karaganda Region Karaganda Region ( kk, Qarağandy oblysy; russian: Карагандинская область, translit=Karagandinskaja oblast′), also spelled Qaraghandy Region, is a region of Kazakhstan. Its capital is Karaganda. On 17 March 2022 it was an ...
, in what was then the
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic ; kk, Қазақ Советтік Социалистік Республикасы) *1991: Republic of Kazakhstan (russian: Республика Казахстан; kk, Қазақстан Республикасы) , linking_name = the ...
. His parents, Telegen Zhylanbayev and Kaden Zhylanbayeva, died when Zhylanbayev was seven, and he was subsequently raised in children's homes and boarding schools in Karaganda Region. He studied physical education, but refused to become a teacher for the
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
and instead began work as a plaster. In 2005, Zhylanbayev graduated with a degree in economy from Kazakh-Russian University in
Aktobe Aktobe ( kz, Ақтөбе, Aqtöbe; russian: Актобе, Aktobe) is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Aktobe Region. In 2020, it had a population of 500,757 people. Aktobe is located in the west of ...
.


Athletics career

Zhylanbayev began long-distance running in 1990, when he ran 85 kilometres in
Barnaul Barnaul ( rus, Барнау́л, p=bərnɐˈul) is the largest city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As of the 2021 Census, its population wa ...
in the then-
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
in 6:43:23, before subsequently achieving a
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
after running 23 marathons in 23 days. He went on to achieve similar feats, including running 15 marathons in 30 days; 75 marathons in six months; and 226 marathons in one year. Between 30 August and 5 September 1991, Zhylanbayev ran to the summit of Mount Elbrus, the highest point in Russia and Europe. Between 2 and 22 April 1992, he raced across the
Karakum Desert The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara-Gum ( tk, Garagum, ; rus, Караку́мы, Karakumy, kərɐˈkumɨ), is a desert in Central Asia. Its name in Turkic languages means "black sand": "" means sand; "" is a contraction of : " ...
in Turkmenistan; the following year, he ran across the
Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
over 24 days, in addition to the
Great Victoria Desert The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated desert ecoregion and interim Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. History In 1875, British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles became the first European to cross th ...
in Australia. In 1994, he raced across the
Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily i ...
in the United States. By 1995, Zhylanbayev was running 85 kilometres a day, and following health complications ended up suffering from
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
. As a result, he stopped running professionally and gave up long-distance running. In 2019, he was a special guest at a marathon in Aktobe, where he ran 10 kilometres and was awarded with an honorary medal in recognition of his achievements in long-distance running. In 2019, Zhylanbayev took part in a 250 km ultramarathon between the Singing Dunes and
Charyn Canyon Charyn Canyon (also known as Sharyn Canyon, kk, Шарын шатқалы, ''Sharyn shatqaly'') is a canyon on the Sharyn River in Kazakhstan ( east of Almaty, close to the Chinese border). The canyon is roughly in length. It is part of the ...
to raise awareness about the disappearance of native flora and fauna in Kazakhstan.


Political career

In 1999, Zhylanbayev entered into local politics when he was elected as a deputy in the Ekibastuz äkimdik, serving until 2007. In 2021, Zhylanbayev received renewed attention as an activist when he began writing online posts critical of the former
President of Kazakhstan The president of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті, Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Prezidentı; russian: Президент Республики Казахстан, Prezident Respu ...
,
Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhs, Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan ...
. As a result of these posts, a non-governmental group, Ar-Bedel, issued a legal case against Zhylanbayev for disrespecting Nazarbayev; the case was ultimately dropped on 19 January 2022. Zhylanbayev had further issues with the authorities in 2022. In June, he was fined 306,000 for violating public association laws after he distributed leaflets for his political party, Alga, Kazakhstan!. In November, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest after holding a public rally on the eve of a
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
delegation visit to Kazakhstan. In February 2023,
snap elections A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or ...
were called, and Zhylanbayev subsequently stated his intention to run as a candidate for the
Mäjilis The Mäjilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасы Парламенті Мәжілісі, Qazaqstan Respublikasy Parlamentî Mäjîlîsî, also transliterated as Mazhilis; "Assembly" in ...
, though he publicly cast doubt over the fairness of the vote. The manifesto for Alga, Kazakhstan! included calls for an international investigation into government actions during the 2023 civil unrest, as well as into Nazarbayev and his family. Zhylanbayev was subsequently removed as an official candidate after it was alleged he had started campaigning too early, in breach of electoral laws. The evidence cited included a post Zhylanbayev had made on social media asking for financial support to pay the registration fee to become a candidate. As of July 2023, Zhylanbayev had made 17 official applications for Alga, Kazakhstan! to become registered as an official political party by the Ministry of Justice; all of his applications were rejected due to the party not meeting the "requirements of the law".


2023 arrest, imprisonment and conviction

On 17 March 2023, Zhylanbayev led a protest outside the European Union's delegation to Kazakhstan's offices, calling on the
Kazakh government The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Үкіметі, tr, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ükımetı'') oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Kassym ...
to free political prisoners, agree to an international investigation into the 2023 unrest, and to register Alga, Kazakhstan! as an official political party. Zhylanbayev was arrested in May 2023, and a court in
Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
subsequently sentenced him to 20 days of administrative arrest for taking part in an unsanctioned protest on 17 March. On 25 May, Zhylanbayev's sentence was extended after he was charged with "financing extremist activities" and "participating in a banned extremist organisation". Zhylanbayev was accused of being an associate of
Mukhtar Ablyazov Mukhtar Qabyluly Ablyazov ( kk, Мұхтар Қабылұлы Әблязов, ''Muhtar Qabyluly Ábliazov''; born 16 May 1963) is a Kazakh businessman and political activist who served as chairman of Bank Turan Alem (BTA Bank), and is a co-fou ...
, a pro-democracy activist, with Alga, Kazakhstan! being described as being part of Ablyazov's own banned opposition political party, the
Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстанның демократиялық таңдауы, Qazaqstannyñ demokratialyq tañdauy, QDT; russian: Демократический выбор Казахстана, DVK) is a political par ...
(QDT). Evidence cited included money transfers Zhylanbayev had made to two candidates during the 2023 election. Alga, Kazakhstan! released a statement stating that Zhylanbayev had donated money to the campaigns of two independent candidates who were not linked to the QDT. Following Zhylanbayev's arrests, more than 20 Alga, Kazakhstan! activists were arrested and interviewed by police in Aktobe. In July, Zhylanbayev's lawyer released a statement stating that Zhylanbayev was experiencing ill health due to poor prison conditions. Zhylanbayev's trial began on 30 October 2023 in a court in Astana. After two unidentified witnesses claimed that they had experienced threats and intimidation, the state prosecutor announced that the trial was going to be
closed Closed may refer to: Mathematics * Closure (mathematics), a set, along with operations, for which applying those operations on members always results in a member of the set * Closed set, a set which contains all its limit points * Closed interval, ...
to the public; this move was criticised by Zhylanbayev himself, his lawyer and his supporters. Zhylanbayev claimed the closed door policy breached the Kazakh constitution, and subsequently appeared at a court hearing on 1 November with his mouth sewed shut. He has since announced that will go on
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...
in protest at the decision. At a court hearing on 17 November, the prosecutor stated their intention to seek Zhylanbayev be sentenced to a 10-year prison term. On 30 November, Marat Zhylanbayev was sentenced to seven years in prison. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and asks for his immediate and unconditional release.


Reaction

Following his imprisonment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Human Rights Watch released statements describing Zhylanbayev as a "political prisoner" and called for his immediate release from prison. On 9 November 2023, Alga, Kazakhstan! filed a petition with the prosecutor general's office demanding that investigators into Zhylanbayev's case be held accountable for alleging falsifying the evidence against him.


See also

*
Duman Mukhammedkarim Duman Almasuly Mukhammedkarim (, , ; born 9 July 1978) is a Kazakh journalist. After decades of working for the Qazaqstan Radio and Television Corporation, he founded his own YouTube channel, Ne Deidi (), in 2015, from which he covered significant ...
: Kazakhstani journalist similarly dubiously charged with extremism


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhylanbayev, Marat 1963 births People from Karaganda Region Kazakhstani human rights activists Political prisoners Kazakhstani male long-distance runners Kazakhstani democracy activists Living people