20 000

20 000  — about such a number of terrorists who allegedly attacked Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in January 2022. It has become one of the pretexts for the execution and torture of a huge number of people. Tokayev’s quote was soon removed from Twitter and TV channels. Authorities pretended that there were no “20 thousand”. However, erase from memory victims of the order to “open fire to kill” is impossible. Photo project by Bauyrzhan Sabit and Beybarys Tolymbekov “20 thousand” — these are the stories of some victims during the January events and relatives of the dead. The authorities keep calling them terrorists marauders and foreign mercenaries, but collecting bit by bit stories of people and their experience, we want to show the tragedy of the people, which the state is trying to erase. 

on-going project 

Mamiya RZ II PRO (medium format film 6×7)

Almaty 2023 

Bauyrzhan Sabit 

Beibarys Tolymbekov