Kazakh artist jailed on charges of Islamic extremism
In Astana a 7-year sentence was imposed on the Kazakh painter Dauren Makin: he was charged with the crime of propagating jihadist terrorism. Through his drawings he voiced strong criticism of the authorities following the January 2022 riots and believes he is being persecuted for his opinions.
Astana (AsiaNews) - Astana artist Dauren Makin has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of "extremism and propaganda of terrorism". He has declared his intention to appeal against the sentence in the Supreme Court, arousing great interest and solidarity among many of his compatriots.
Through his drawings, he has voiced strong criticism of the authorities in the wake of the January 2022 riots and believes that he is being persecuted solely for his opinions, so much so that humanitarian activists in Kazakhstan call him a 'political prisoner'.
His art consists of pencil drawings on simple sheets of paper, and expresses feelings of despondency and disorientation of the person, evidently imprisoned or otherwise locked up in a room, in various poses and expressions, to emphasise the difficult days experienced by everyone in Kazakhstan. In other drawings, the bars and furnishings of the prison can be seen more clearly, with two people looking out of the window, or other men tied up and unable to move.
The sentencing verdict states that Makin 'posted messages of terrorist propaganda on his social media pages, calling for armed jihad, calling state officials kafiry and infidels, and calling for the violent overthrow of the constituted authorities'.
The artist's lawyer, Žasulan Kaumenov, stated that the charges were based on voice recordings made by security service agents, who visited Makin to 'learn how to draw'.
In the second instance, the verdict was upheld, regardless of the unreliability of the testimonies collected; but the painter is confident in the Supreme Court and 'has no intention of giving up', assures his lawyer.
Last 28 June, Makin turned 48 in prison. The prosecutor's papers state that 'from 2010 Makin began to profess the Islamic religion, drawing independently from internet resources to the sources of religious canons, and from the analysis of his research, it is deduced that he began to take an interest in the activities of international terrorist organisations, which propagate destructive religious ideas'. Hence the accusation of 'participation in the global Islamic terrorist movement'.
These accusations centred on Facebook messages of 19 January 2022, in which he complained that 'they kill us not only with bullets, but above all with terror that makes us fearful and submissive to power, with an increasingly fragile self-consciousness and a desire to live far from danger... This is marasmus surrealism! The people in recent days have finally woken up, for the glory of Allah!".
In another post, he wrote that "I like the words: Maidan, Taliban, Kazak, Zaporožskaja Seč [the historical seat of the Cossacks], Radical, Šal Ket, Tonkaj ket, Šura-Soviet!", expressions that refer to the free spirit of the Eurasian nomads, rather than to the terrorists of the Islamic State.
So called 'drawing students' - in reality sent to check on him - were a man and a woman who introduced themselves as Arystan and Majra, first contacted him as early as 2021,and he naively welcomed them into his home: 'he is a big-hearted man,' the lawyer recalls.
They encouraged him to talk about Islam and the 'fight against the infidels', to which he replied that 'every genuine Muslim must know how to defend himself, even with the use of weapons', hence the accusation of incitement to armed struggle. The testimony of 'Majra and Arystan' took place without showing the faces of the witnesses, hidden by four screens, and without revealing their real names.
The artist's father, Askarbek Makin, showed his son's other drawings at the appeal trial, kept since his teenage years, to prove his true nature, 'one who wants to discover the soul's discomfort, not cause evil himself'. But the judges decided to disregard them, relying only on 'philological, political, theological and history of religions analysis' for his alleged social messages, many of which were evidently contrived.
Makin's drawings speak of the Kazakh people, often portrayed in their national costumes, and some are even exhibited at the National Museum in Astana: the persecution of him is the best demonstration of Kazakhstan's struggle to free itself from the authoritarianism of the past, and to choose to open up new paths of spirit and society.
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20/11/2019 13:48
30/03/2021 11:33
