National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan

National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakh: Қазақстан Республикасы Ұлттық Қауіпсіздік Комитеті Russian: Комитет Национальной Безопасности Республики Казахстан
The emblem of The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Agency overview
Formed	13 July 1992 (1992-07-13)
Preceding agency	KGB
Agency executive	Karim Massimov, Chairman[1]
Website	knb.kz
Footnotes
Also referred to by the abbreviations KNB[2][3] or NSC,[4] or unofficially as the Kazakh National Security Service[5]

The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NSC) is an intelligence agency in Kazakhstan.^[4] It was founded on 13 July 1992.^[6]

History

The NSC was created in accordance with a law passed by parliament in July 1992 which authorised the establishment of an agency to replace the KGB, the old national security apparatus of the Soviet Union. Initially, it retained most of the staff which the KGB had employed in Kazakhstan, as well as the powers the KGB had held; its first head, Bulat Baekenov, had worked for the KGB for over two decades. Its early years were marked by close cooperation with Russia on issues of border security and counter-intelligence against alleged foreign spies.^[2] In December 1995, a new presidential decree modified some of the NSC's powers.^[7]

In November 2008, journalist Ramazan Yesergepov published an article entitled "Who Rules the Country: President or National Security Committee?" It contained private NSC correspondence which was later listed as classified, resulting in his 2009 arrest and conviction on security charges.^[8] The case led to domestic and international condemnation.^[9][10]

In January 2010, Kazakhstani president Nursultan Nazarbaev appointed his nephew Samat Abish as the NSC's head of human resources; opposition lawmaker Serikbolsyn Abdildin of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan claimed this shows that Nazarbaev considers personal loyalty more important than skill in government posts.^[3]

Structure

The NSC includes the Arystan ('Lions') commando unit.^[11]

List of chairmen

• Bulat Baekenov, October 1991 - December 1993^[12]
• Sat Tokpakbaev, December 1993 - November 1995; left his post to take up the chairmanship of the Special Security Division (Специализированное охранное подразделение) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs^[12]
• Dzhenisbek Dzhumanbekov, November 1995 - May 1997; his term was marked by scandal over illegal dealings with Iran, and his vice-chairman was sacked; Dzhumanbekov himself resigned from his position and left public life^[12]
• Alnur Musaev, May 1997 - September 1998 and August 1999 - May 2001; second term ended by dismissal from his post due to personal conflicts with the president and other elites^[12]
• Nurtai Abykayev, September 1998 – August 1999 and August 2010 – present; dismissed from his post for his role in a scandal over the sale of old MiG fighter planes to North Korea by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Defense, and replaced by his predecessor.^[12][13] Reappointed in 2010 after the removal of Adil Shayakhmetov.^[1]
• Marat Tazhin, May 2001 - December 2001^[12]
• Nartai Dutbayev, December 2001 - 22 February 2006; resigned in scandal over murder of opposition politician Altynbek Sarsenbayev^[12][14][15]
• Amangeldy Shabdarbayev, 2 March 2006 - 7 December 2009; removed from his post for unclear reasons^[16][17]
• Adil Shayakhmetov, 9 December 2009 – August 2010; removed from his post in the aftermath of the arrest of Prosecutor-General's Office official Murat Musabekov, who was fingered as allegedly plotting a coup in an anonymous letter allegedly circulated by NSC officers.^[1][16]

References

Bibliography

• Knight, Amy W. (1997), Spies without cloaks: the KGB's successors, Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-01718-1 

External links

• Official website (in English)/(in Kazakh)/(in Russian)