Kazakh leader evokes Ukraine as land protests spread
- Reuters
- 02 May 2016
The protests were sparked by opposition to a legal overhaul that will allow the government to sell farmland to joint ventures, provided they are controlled by Kazakh residents, and lease it to foreigners for up to 25 years. Opponents of the new law, who staged their first protest in the city of Atyrau last Sunday, see the change as a threat to national security, especially after the government announced several agreements with neighboring China for agricultural projects.