Who will protect children from religious heresy? Why did the Almaty city court rule in favor of Aliya Nazarbaeva's ex-husband? How are girls married off at 13 in Kazakhstan? Why change the name of Mount Nursultan to Kantar? What negotiations are taking place between the Kazakh authorities and Chevron? Answers to these questions are provided in a new overview of the Kazakh-language press by Nazira Darimbet.
Challenges between Science and Religion
Democrat.kz publishes the opinion of blogger Iskak, who notes that there is a conflict in Kazakhstan between the Ministry of Education and religious preachers.
According to the blogger, the opposition between secular education and religious teachings negatively affects the youth.
“There is a clear contradiction in society between educational institutions and preachers. The state allocates resources for teaching children biology, explaining the theory of evolution, while preachers actively refute this. Children have confused minds. How do we solve this problem?” he questions on his social media.
Many users agreed that there is a problem and suggested various solutions.
“It is necessary to actively develop science and education. Preachers should talk about useful things for society, not about prohibitions and myths,” “They need oversight,” “The main thing is scientific knowledge,” “This is the age of scientists,” “It’s better to legally ban sermons,” they wrote in the comments.
…Blogger Iskak, who identifies as an atheist, explains scientific concepts to the youth audience, causing confusion among some religious leaders. He tries to counter the heresy that has spread in society, and his lectures are available to everyone. But what can education officials do to counteract this?
Almaty Court on the Side of Nazarbayev's Ex-Son-in-Law?
The Almaty city court overturned the decision of the Bostandyk district court, which did not recognize Aliya Nazarbaeva's ex-husband Daniyar Khasenov as bankrupt, and returned the case for reconsideration, reports Nege.kz.
The first-instance court decided that Khasenov did not provide evidence of his attempts to settle the debt. As a result, he was denied bankruptcy.
However, the city court disagreed with this conclusion. Since Khasenov signed a contract with the creditor until January 1, 2025, and had been unable to fulfill his obligations for over a year, he is not required to provide documents proving attempts to "settle debts."
“The decision of the Bostandyk district court dated October 6, 2025, is overturned. The materials of Khasenov's bankruptcy case are sent to the first-instance court for reconsideration,” the court's decision states.
Khasenov stated that he has no property and that for three years before going to court, he did not take actions that could harm creditors, such as reducing assets or transferring them to third parties.
His debt to the "Problem Loans Fund" amounts to 23.8 billion tenge. The debt arose under a loan agreement concluded in 2003 with JSC "Kazkommertsbank." Daniyar Khasenov secured the fulfillment of obligations with a written guarantee.
Daniyar Khasenov is a former football player and one of the ex-managers of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). He has children with Aliya Nazarbaeva, as mentioned in sources.
…It is doubtful that Khasenov truly has no property. Bankruptcy may be a way to evade repayment of a debt of nearly 47 million dollars. Given that the city court overturned the previous decision, there is a likelihood that this time it may be in favor of Khasenov. Experience shows that decisions often change after appeals.
Chevron to Continue Operations in Kazakhstan
During preliminary negotiations, Kazakhstan agreed to allow Chevron to continue its activities at the Tengiz field, reports the DALA INSIDE channel citing a source.
However, the next contract may not be as long-term as the previous one:
“Kazakhstan offers a contract for 20-25 years. Chevron insists on a minimum agreement of 30 years. The parties have technical disagreements, but a fundamental agreement has been reached.”
Kazakhstan also proposed to increase the share of local specialists in the management of the joint venture Tengizchevroil (TCO). It is expected that by 2028, the current director William Jacoby will be replaced by a Kazakh specialist, which Chevron does not oppose.
The current 40-year contract between Kazakhstan and Chevron for the Tengiz field expires in 2033. The issue of its extension must be resolved by 2028. The Tengiz field provides Chevron with about 23% of the company's global oil reserves.
Additionally, Chevron also has a stake in Karachaganak, for which the development license is valid until 2037.
Currently, the shares in TCO are distributed as follows: Chevron owns 50%, ExxonMobil 25%, Kazakhstan 20%, and Lukoil 5%. Initially, the shares were equal, but between 1994 and 1996, Kazakhstan sold part of its share to ExxonMobil for 1 billion dollars and later transferred 5% to Lukoil. In light of sanctions against Lukoil, the issue of its share in TCO must be resolved within the next 11 days. If Lukoil does not find a buyer, Kazakhstan may become the main candidate to buy this share, as stated in the publication.
…It is worth noting that Lukoil's assets are claimed by a consortium consisting of Chevron and Quantum Capital Group, who intend to divide them between themselves. If their application is approved by the U.S., Chevron may receive an additional 5% in the project.
Renaming Mount Nursultan to Қаңтар
Marathon runner Erengayip Kuatayuly proposed renaming the peak named after ex-president Nazarbayev to Қаңтар, reports Adyrna.kz.
“Recently, while at this peak, I thought: this mountain is still officially called Nursultan, and it would be right to name it Қаңтар in memory of the victims of the January events. It would be good if Almaty deputies Ermurad Bapi and Bakhtzhan Bazarbek supported this initiative,” the deputy claims.
This peak, 4,376 meters high, is visible from any point in Almaty. Until 1935, it was named Peak of Little Almaty, then from 1935 to 1997 it was called Komsomol Peak, and then it was renamed Nursultan. In 2023, it was given the name Peak of Almaty, but it is still not registered in the State Register of Geographical Names of Kazakhstan and is likely used only within the Federation of Mountaineering of Kazakhstan.
In comparison, Peak of Almaty is 696 meters higher than Big Almaty Peak, located near Big Almaty Lake. Among Kazakhs, mountain names usually depend not on height but on nearby rivers and water bodies. Therefore, Big Almaty Peak likely got its name from the source of the Big Almatinka River and Big Almaty Lake, as stated in the publication.
…By the way, it is interesting to ask how Mount Furmanov has retained its name until now? As for Mount Nursultan, I agree with the marathon runner's proposal, but I doubt that the mentioned deputies will raise this issue. The topic of the January events of 2022 is painful for the authorities, and these deputies are not among those ready to confront it.
Three Classes and Marriage at 13
Journalist Ruslan Otepbay discussed the situation of a large family in the Karasai district of Almaty region on his YouTube channel, reports the information portal Sn.kz.
Meirambek Nazarova, a mother of many children, recently gave birth to her fourth child. She is a citizen of Uzbekistan but without documents, and the family lives in a rented temporary shelter without necessary conditions. Her common-law husband has several other wives and does not support the family.
20-year-old Fatima, the woman's eldest daughter from her first marriage, was forcibly married at 13 to a 30-year-old man by her stepfather's decision.
“I lived with my first husband for only 8 months. The guardianship authorities learned about my minority and took me away. Last year I got married again, and we had a son. My younger sister often missed school because of my stepfather. He believes that girls and boys should not be in the same room — it’s haram. He did the same with me; I only finished 3 classes,” she shares in the video.
A neighbor reported on the family's situation. The family was provided with free housing for three years from one of the charitable foundations.
…I recall that my grandmother also got married at 13, but that was over a hundred years ago. I watched this episode and am amazed that, despite modern technologies and progress, such things still exist. A half-collapsed temporary shelter, a coal stove, unsanitary conditions. Girls in headscarves, an illiterate woman with many children, allowing a pseudo-religious “husband” to marry off her underage daughter. I am sure there are many such families in the depths of Kazakhstan.
