This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Dozens of supporters of Kazakh activist Zhanbolat Shaizada held national flags and sang a patriotic song to greet him as he left a jail in Almaty late on May 14 after serving five days for forcibly removing a Soviet flag from a private car.
Shaizada was arrested and charged with hooliganism on May 9 after he removed the flag from the vehicle, shouting:
“This is Kazakhstan, take it away!” Shaizada told the Qamshy website that he considered flying a Soviet flag to be a provocation as Russia continues its full-scale unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
