A Tragic Loss: Funeral of Kazakh Activist Aidos Sadykov

A small crowd of mourners gathered on Friday for the funeral of the Kazakh opposition activist and YouTuber Aidos Sadykov, who was assassinated in Kyiv, Ukraine. His untimely death has sent shockwaves through the community of journalists and exiles in Ukraine and the wider region.

A Life of Activism

Aidos Sadykov, aged 55, was a former opposition politician and trade unionist who had sought refuge in Ukraine a decade ago, fleeing his homeland of Kazakhstan with his family. He was granted political asylum in Ukraine and, together with his wife, ran a popular YouTube channel providing coverage of events in Kazakhstan.

Tragic Assassination

Sadykov was tragically shot outside his home last month and succumbed to his injuries earlier this week. His widow, Natalia Sadykova, a journalist herself, publicly attributed the blame for her husband’s death to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan.

Natalia Sadykova’s passionate statement on Facebook read: “Aidos gave his life for Kazakhstan. He died a martyr’s death at the hands of killers. For 13 days, Aidos fought for his life in the ICU, but there was no miracle. His death is on Tokayev’s conscience.“

Seeking Justice

President Tokayev has not directly responded to the accusations made by Ms. Sadykova. Following the incident, he announced that he had instructed his officials to investigate the details of the shooting and expressed willingness to offer assistance to Ukraine in their investigation.

Natalia Sadykova, visibly distraught, was seen hugging Mustafa Dzhemilev, a Ukrainian lawmaker and former leader of Crimean Tatars, during the solemn funeral proceedings of her late husband, Aidos Sadykov.

Credit: Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times