Baibolat Kunbolat, a 40-year-old ethnic Kazakh, originally from neighboring Xinjiang, was one of the first protesters to start picketing the Chinese Consulate in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, in February. He and dozens more, mostly female, protesters have gathered regularly outside the consulate for the past five months. They are demanding that Kazakh and Chinese authorities release information about family members and relatives, who they believe have either disappeared or been detained in concentration camps in Xinjiang. 

China’s westernmost region has suffered a years-long crackdown on the basic human rights of its mostly Muslim population. Over 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim groups have been held in concentration camps that are described by Beijing as vocational training centers. The U.S., the EU and dozens of international law experts around the world have described China’s actions as “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”.

Despite the long-standing ties with non-native Kazakhs who have settled in the country in large numbers over the past three decades, Kazakhstan’s authorities have adopted a series of harsh measures to quell the protests.

Kunbolat came to Kazakhstan in 2002. He lives in Almaty, with his wife and three children and has worked a number of jobs, including a stint as a taxi driver. His younger brother Baimurat, however, remains in Xinjiang.