11 people murdered, 141 injured...
Tax deductible
11 people murdered, 141 injured and over 24,000 fled to a different country
39 houses, 20 shops, and 47 cars burned.
Total estimated damages to Dungan families $4.5 million.
Kazakh government has not provided any financial help to victims.
This charity is organized by local Dungan community in Brooklyn for children, widows and all others who were victims of the unfortunate, brutal incident. We do not seek any political movement. This fundraiser is organized to draw attention and provide financial assistance.
Here are some pictures from or after the incident, taken by witnesses. We did not post any sensitive content to avoid possible trauma for viewers and donors.
The night of the incident
Widow sitting inside her burned property couple days after the incident
Couple hours after the incident. People fleeing from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan border. Estimated 24 thousand people fled the country within a day
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51425938
Genocide is starting with pogroms
It is not surprising that the world has passed by the tragic situation of the Dungan people in Kazakhstan. Few people know about the existence of these people living in Kazakhstan (72 thousand), in Kyrgyzstan (74 thousand), in Tajikistan (6 thousand), in Uzbekistan (about 2 thousand), in Russia (more than 1.5 thousand), and in China (10 million). Several Dungan communities also exist in Thailand and Malaysia.
The Dungan language is an ancient Han dialect of the Chinese language. In the countries of the diaspora, the Dungans are a national minority. On February 7, 2020, in Kazakhstan, local nationalists, with the connivance of the authorities, staged pogroms in Dungan villages. They killed people, burned houses, shops, working shops, and smashed cars. These events went down in the history of the Dungan people as the Korday pogrom.
Hatred of the Dungans is of a national and ethnic nature but not religious nature, for the Dungans, like the Kazakhs, are Sunni Muslims. Kazakh nationalists consider the Dungans, who came to Kazakhstan from China 150 years ago, as strangers who did not appreciate the hospitality of their hosts. This attitude is indirectly supported by the country's authorities, who do not intend to compensate the Dungans for the material damage they suffered from the pogroms.
Moreover, local authorities prevent the Dungans from leasing agricultural land. The Kazakh Dungans are mostly farmers. Without cultivating the land they are doomed to hunger and extreme poverty. They are lucky if they have relatives who help from abroad. Dungans are arrested on dubious charges and tortured during interrogation. Local law enforcement authorities are not punished for attacks on the Dungans.
Dungan complaints are generally ignored by the courts. To sum up, the Dungans are being squeezed out of Kazakhstan. Moral support to the victims is provided by Kazakh human rights defenders and Dungan activists. There is hope for financial help from the recently established Schivon («Щивон») charity foundation, which is open to receiving donations. However the problem lies in the fact that the fund is actually controlled by the local Kazakh leadership.
During the pogroms, 10 Dungans and 1 Kazakh were killed, according to official data. Beatings and mutilations were recorded by doctors in 141 people, lootings occurred in 39 private houses, 20 shops, and 47 cars and were subsequently burned. Livestock was stolen. 24 thousand Dungans fled from their villages to neighboring Kyrgyzstan, where they were sheltered by Kyrgyz Dungans. Estimated material damage to the Dungans lies at about $4.5 million, which is a huge amount for the rural residents of South Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Tokayev denies the very fact of the pogroms. He described the conflict as "a group fight with hooligan motives." The authorities act according to the usual scenario of dictatorships: they turn off the Internet and mobile communications in Dungan villages, and block messenger services. The Dungan Association of Kazakhstan believes that the pogroms were organized and planned in advance and were carried out with the support of the local police.
The Dungans who remain in Kazakhstan live in fear. They are persecuted and can only rely on themselves, although they are the same citizens of the country as are other minorities and as the state-forming nation - the Kazakhs.
In May, the affected Dungans sent a collective letter to the Kazakh authorities, and a copy was sent to Kazakhstani and international human rights organizations and the media.
The letter described the intimidation, illegal searches, detentions and torture suffered by the Dungans in Kazakhstan, and that the victims were denied compensation for the property destroyed by the pogromists, for the death of loved ones, and for injuries that in some cases resulted in loss of ability to work. This cry of despair of the Dungans was, in fact, a voice crying in the desert.
The Kazakh authorities did not engage in a serious and objective investigation of the tragedy, did not condemn the rioters, did not provide full-fledged assistance to the victims, and did not allow representatives of international organizations into the conflict zone to collect data and testimony. In turn, international organizations did not exert proper pressure on Almaty and generally kept silent. The Dungans were left alone and must now rely only on themselves. The inaction of the authorities indicates, if not direct, then indirect support of Kazakh nationalists. This threatens an explosive situation for such a multinational country as Kazakhstan.
Inter-ethnic conflicts have become quite typical for Kazakhstan. There were attacks by Kazakhs on the Chechen community in the suburbs of Almaty, the village of Kurds was subjected to a three-day pogrom, the houses of Tajiks were smashed, and Armenians were expelled from Karaganda. Xenophobia, chauvinism, incitement to pogroms, and outright lies about minorities in the mass media controlled by the authorities are the norms of today's life in Kazakhstan.
So much for the Muslim brotherhood! So much for the friendship of peoples of which Nazarbayev boasted.
The genocide of Jews in Nazi Germany began with the destruction of Jewish homes and shops. The genocide of Soviet Jews that Stalin was preparing began with pogroms in the Russian Empire. In order to prevent another genocide, a country's authorities must forcibly suppress pogroms at their very beginning, prosecute the instigators, and provide protection to minorities. Without this, a country cannot be considered a civilized state. A society, if it is silent, cannot be considered a society with high morals.
Here it is appropriate to recall the words of the poet Alexander Galich (“The Prospectors' Little Waltz”):
Let others cry of despair,
From shame, from pain, from hunger!
We know – silence is profitable,
Because silence - gold!
This is so easy to fall into the rich,
This is so easy to get into ,
This is so easy to get into - the executioners:
Stall, stall, stall!..
NOTE: The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of the international community and international human rights organizations to the tragic situation of the Dungan people in Kazakhstan, to inspire sympathy for the victims of the pogroms, and to provide them with basic human rights and financial assistance.
39 houses, 20 shops, and 47 cars burned.
Total estimated damages to Dungan families $4.5 million.
Kazakh government has not provided any financial help to victims.
This charity is organized by local Dungan community in Brooklyn for children, widows and all others who were victims of the unfortunate, brutal incident. We do not seek any political movement. This fundraiser is organized to draw attention and provide financial assistance.
Here are some pictures from or after the incident, taken by witnesses. We did not post any sensitive content to avoid possible trauma for viewers and donors.
The night of the incident
Widow sitting inside her burned property couple days after the incident
Couple hours after the incident. People fleeing from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan border. Estimated 24 thousand people fled the country within a day
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51425938
Genocide is starting with pogroms
It is not surprising that the world has passed by the tragic situation of the Dungan people in Kazakhstan. Few people know about the existence of these people living in Kazakhstan (72 thousand), in Kyrgyzstan (74 thousand), in Tajikistan (6 thousand), in Uzbekistan (about 2 thousand), in Russia (more than 1.5 thousand), and in China (10 million). Several Dungan communities also exist in Thailand and Malaysia.
The Dungan language is an ancient Han dialect of the Chinese language. In the countries of the diaspora, the Dungans are a national minority. On February 7, 2020, in Kazakhstan, local nationalists, with the connivance of the authorities, staged pogroms in Dungan villages. They killed people, burned houses, shops, working shops, and smashed cars. These events went down in the history of the Dungan people as the Korday pogrom.
Hatred of the Dungans is of a national and ethnic nature but not religious nature, for the Dungans, like the Kazakhs, are Sunni Muslims. Kazakh nationalists consider the Dungans, who came to Kazakhstan from China 150 years ago, as strangers who did not appreciate the hospitality of their hosts. This attitude is indirectly supported by the country's authorities, who do not intend to compensate the Dungans for the material damage they suffered from the pogroms.
Moreover, local authorities prevent the Dungans from leasing agricultural land. The Kazakh Dungans are mostly farmers. Without cultivating the land they are doomed to hunger and extreme poverty. They are lucky if they have relatives who help from abroad. Dungans are arrested on dubious charges and tortured during interrogation. Local law enforcement authorities are not punished for attacks on the Dungans.
Dungan complaints are generally ignored by the courts. To sum up, the Dungans are being squeezed out of Kazakhstan. Moral support to the victims is provided by Kazakh human rights defenders and Dungan activists. There is hope for financial help from the recently established Schivon («Щивон») charity foundation, which is open to receiving donations. However the problem lies in the fact that the fund is actually controlled by the local Kazakh leadership.
During the pogroms, 10 Dungans and 1 Kazakh were killed, according to official data. Beatings and mutilations were recorded by doctors in 141 people, lootings occurred in 39 private houses, 20 shops, and 47 cars and were subsequently burned. Livestock was stolen. 24 thousand Dungans fled from their villages to neighboring Kyrgyzstan, where they were sheltered by Kyrgyz Dungans. Estimated material damage to the Dungans lies at about $4.5 million, which is a huge amount for the rural residents of South Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Tokayev denies the very fact of the pogroms. He described the conflict as "a group fight with hooligan motives." The authorities act according to the usual scenario of dictatorships: they turn off the Internet and mobile communications in Dungan villages, and block messenger services. The Dungan Association of Kazakhstan believes that the pogroms were organized and planned in advance and were carried out with the support of the local police.
The Dungans who remain in Kazakhstan live in fear. They are persecuted and can only rely on themselves, although they are the same citizens of the country as are other minorities and as the state-forming nation - the Kazakhs.
In May, the affected Dungans sent a collective letter to the Kazakh authorities, and a copy was sent to Kazakhstani and international human rights organizations and the media.
The letter described the intimidation, illegal searches, detentions and torture suffered by the Dungans in Kazakhstan, and that the victims were denied compensation for the property destroyed by the pogromists, for the death of loved ones, and for injuries that in some cases resulted in loss of ability to work. This cry of despair of the Dungans was, in fact, a voice crying in the desert.
The Kazakh authorities did not engage in a serious and objective investigation of the tragedy, did not condemn the rioters, did not provide full-fledged assistance to the victims, and did not allow representatives of international organizations into the conflict zone to collect data and testimony. In turn, international organizations did not exert proper pressure on Almaty and generally kept silent. The Dungans were left alone and must now rely only on themselves. The inaction of the authorities indicates, if not direct, then indirect support of Kazakh nationalists. This threatens an explosive situation for such a multinational country as Kazakhstan.
Inter-ethnic conflicts have become quite typical for Kazakhstan. There were attacks by Kazakhs on the Chechen community in the suburbs of Almaty, the village of Kurds was subjected to a three-day pogrom, the houses of Tajiks were smashed, and Armenians were expelled from Karaganda. Xenophobia, chauvinism, incitement to pogroms, and outright lies about minorities in the mass media controlled by the authorities are the norms of today's life in Kazakhstan.
So much for the Muslim brotherhood! So much for the friendship of peoples of which Nazarbayev boasted.
The genocide of Jews in Nazi Germany began with the destruction of Jewish homes and shops. The genocide of Soviet Jews that Stalin was preparing began with pogroms in the Russian Empire. In order to prevent another genocide, a country's authorities must forcibly suppress pogroms at their very beginning, prosecute the instigators, and provide protection to minorities. Without this, a country cannot be considered a civilized state. A society, if it is silent, cannot be considered a society with high morals.
Here it is appropriate to recall the words of the poet Alexander Galich (“The Prospectors' Little Waltz”):
Let others cry of despair,
From shame, from pain, from hunger!
We know – silence is profitable,
Because silence - gold!
This is so easy to fall into the rich,
This is so easy to get into ,
This is so easy to get into - the executioners:
Stall, stall, stall!..
NOTE: The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of the international community and international human rights organizations to the tragic situation of the Dungan people in Kazakhstan, to inspire sympathy for the victims of the pogroms, and to provide them with basic human rights and financial assistance.
Organizer
Damirzhan Azimov
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Zhi Wang Inc
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
