The Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, previously known as the Socialist Resistance of Kazakhstan from 2006 to 2011, is a banned

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

political organisation in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

. It is active in a number of cities but operates primarily in

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

. Originally the Kazakhstani section of the

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

Committee for a Workers' International The Committee for a Workers' International (CWI; , or CIT; or CIO) was an Political international, international association of Trotskyism, Trotskyist political parties and organisations. Today, two groups claim to be the continuation of the C ...

(CWI), the organisation has since moved away from Trotskyism and now participates in the Marxist–Leninist

International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties The International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMCWP) is an annual conference attended by communist and workers' parties from several countries. It originated in 1998 when the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) invited communist an ...

(IMCWP). Prominent members of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan include Ainur Kurmanov and Esenbek Ukteshbayev, leaders of the independent Kazakhstani trade union who are currently living in exile. Along with other members of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, both have faced

arbitrary detention Arbitrary arrest and detention is the arrest and detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law or order. ...

by authorities and assassination attempts while living in Kazakhstan.

History

The Committee for a Workers' International announced on 23 May 2002 that it had established a section in Kazakhstan, following a conference held by its Kazakhstani members in neighbouring

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

earlier that month. From its inception the CWI's section in Kazakhstan came under attack by authorities, with one member being detained en route to the conference which established the organisation, and others reportedly being attacked as they gathered for the conference. In early 2006, leading members of the CWI's Kazakhstani section decided to create a more formal organisation which would be independent from the CWI. The founding congress of the "Socialist Resistance of Kazakhstan" was held from 20 to 21 February 2006. The group hosted its first event shortly afterwards on 23 February 2006—a

rock concert A rock concert is a performance of rock music. During the 1950s, several American musical groups experimented with new musical forms that fused country music, blues, and swing genre to produce the earliest examples of "rock and roll." The coi ...

in Almaty titled "Rock for Free Education", in which a number of local musicians participated in. The Socialist Resistance of Kazakhstan was instrumental in the "Leave the People's Homes Alone" campaign, an anti-eviction movement, and in "Kazakhstan 2012", a campaign by

trade unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and other labour organisations for

electoral reform Electoral reform is a change in electoral systems that alters how public desires, usually expressed by cast votes, produce election results. Description Reforms can include changes to: * Voting systems, such as adoption of proportional represen ...

. At the fourth meeting of the Kazakhstan 2012 campaign held on 7 May 2011, the Socialist Resistance of Kazakhstan renamed itself the "Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan" and announced plans to register a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

with Kazakhstan's

Central Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

named the "Socialist Workers' Party". However, such a party was never established. Takhir Narimanovich Mukhamedzyanov, the leader of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, was found dead in his home under suspicious circumstances on 5 June 2012. His body was discovered by his friends, who had grown concerned after he failed to turn up for work for several days. Mukhamedzyanov received a number of death threats in the weeks leading up to his death. The Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan supported the strike and demonstrations by Kazakhstani oil workers in

Zhanaozen Zhanaozen or Janaozen (; ), formerly known as Novy Uzen ( ) and known in English as New River City, is a city in the Mangystau Region of southwestern Kazakhstan located southeast of the city of Aktau. The name of the town means "new river" i ...

in December 2011. After the police opened fire and killed over 14 demonstrators in Zhanaozen, the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan accused the

Nur Otan Amanat (; ; officially stylized in all caps), previously known as Nur Otan (; ), is a Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Kazakhstan, political party of Kazakhstan and the largest political association in the country, with around 8 ...

government of

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...

of conducting a massacre. The Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan supported workers' strikes during the

2022 Kazakhstani protests The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as January Events, Bloody January, or the January Tragedy, was a series of mass protests and civil unrest that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied petroleum g ...

which initially began due to an overnight doubling of fuel prices. The organisation called for the withdrawal of armed troops from Kazakhstan's cities, the resignation of the

Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakhstani politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and as Chairman of the Senate ...

government, the release of political prisoners, and the legalisation of labour demonstrations, independent trade unions, the

Communist Party of Kazakhstan The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (, ) is a banned Marxist–Leninist political party in Kazakhstan. History Origin The Communist Party of Kazakhstan was founded 1936, when Kazakhstan was granted a Union Republic status within the Sovie ...

, and the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan itself.

Policies

The Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan campaigns for socialism through the achievement of a workers' revolution, an end to authoritarianism, and calls for the nationalisation of the economy under the control of workers. The party specifically advocates in its program for: * Democracy in the interests of the working majority in the form of a state, in the governing bodies of which all workers will be represented, and in which the state itself will wither away, dissolving in the bodies of social self-government * Socialization of industry, banking, transport and communications, as well as land and natural resources, including oil and gas, and workers' control over the production and distribution of all public goods * A democratic planned economy under the full and direct control and administration of the organized working class * The right of all nations to cultural and state self-determination up to secession or unification * A free and equal alliance of workers' states on a global scale that will end the chaos of imperialist wars and ethnic conflicts * A government of workers with a socialist program

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

* {{Kazakhstani political parties Banned communist parties Banned political parties in Kazakhstan Communist parties in Kazakhstan

Political parties in Kazakhstan Political parties established in 2002 2002 establishments in Kazakhstan International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties