Adolf Aloysovich Kurmanov

Adolf Aloysovich Kurmanov, or Kazakh tales of a network troll

Recently, Ainur Kurmanov - a widely known character in narrow circles - bursted out with another "denouncing" article about the "Commonwealth of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan" - "Amanat". Originally from Kazakhstan, he has been living in Greece for the past 4 years, calling himself a political refugee. This "refugee" tells everyone what a powerful organization he has in Kazakhstan - as though thousands of batyrs are sitting in the saddle of the revolutionary cavalry, impatiently beating the hoof to the ground, carving sparks from stones and rushing into battle on Akorda^[1]. In reality, however, what he does is petty mischief to the trade union and public figures of Kazakhstan who push in earnest for progressive changes in society and not, like Kurmanov, use their fingers to click on the computer keys and record semi-hysterical video messages in the style of - I will not be afraid of this comparison - Adolf Aloysovich Shiklgruber^[2]. To be convinced of the truthfulness of such comparison, it is enough to look at any of them.

It should be noted that the web sites on which Kurmanov places his publications, npravo.org and socialismkz.info, are generally inaccessible in Kazakhstan; but this hardly speaks in favor of Kurmanov as a revolutionary. Rather, it tells that all of his articles and video messages are directed outside, and not inside, of Kazakhstan. In Kazakhstan, Kurmanov is plainly not known by anybody, and certainly noone accepts Kurmanov’s authority, despite the fact that Kurmanov likes to sign his articles by "Political Council of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan" and the "Central Committee of the Kazakhstan Labor Union" - "Zhanartu". Two or three declassed social elements gathering gossip within the country, for it to be later disseminated among foreign leftist, communist and workers' organizations - this is all that makes the "Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan" and the "Zhanartu Workers' Union".

Given such circumstances, this publication is primarily intended for comrades from the above organizations outside Kazakhstan.

Now, Kurmanov's narrative begins with a "loud" title: “WILL THE AUTHORITIES CLOSE THEIR OWN "TRADE UNION AMANAT", CREATED AND ACTING IN VIOLATION OF LAW?” This is exactly what he writes - the whole title in capital letters. However, in spite of this, Kurmanov’s statement does not have anything to do with reality. Either Kurmanov has not verified the information he got from his declassed gossips, or he has nothing left to do except lying openly to foreign comrades. According to the Kazakhstan law on trade unions, it is enough to register territorial associations or branches in at least 9 regions of the country in order to obtain the republican status, that is, more than half (in Kazakhstan there are 16 regions: 14 oblasts, the capital, and one city of national importance). This condition was fulfilled by "Amanat". And the notice about the fulfillment of this condition was carried by me to the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, together with the chairman of SEC "Amanat" Andrei Prigor, in mid-October 2017. At that time, territorial associations or branches had been registered - if I'm not mistaken - in 13 regions out of 16.

The "ease of registration" of "Amanat" exists only in the imagination of Kurmanov, who has been poorly informed by his gossips. The Organizing Committee submitted the documents to the Ministry of Justice three times before being registered! There were many difficulties with the registration of branches and territorial associations. Documents often had to be taken several times. Kurmanov knows nothing about this laborious work either. Anyway, painstaking work has never been Kurmanov's strong point. For him, it was always easier to yell at every corner that he was "not being registered".

Furthermore, Kurmanov disseminates insinuations about the holding of congresses of "Amanat" in "prestigious hotels in Astana". I propose to familiarize with the website of the hotel "Ak Zhayik", in which the congresses took place. If a hotel with rooms costing from 5000 to 15000 tenge (from 15 to 45 US dollars) per day is prestigious, then Kurmanov is certainly right.

Kurmanov’s concern about Larisa Kharkova’s liquidated republican trade union “Confederation of Independent Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, CIURK, is touching. In January 2017, he wrote about this very person, Larisa Kharkova, that she "sells down the river" the strike of the workers of the oilfield service enterprises, which the court had recognized as illegal (according to Kurmanov, the court decision was made on the basis of a press release by Larisa Kharkova), while union leaders Amin Eleusinov and Nurbek Kushakbayev received prison terms. It is hard to call such things other than double facedness.

However, Kurmanov's duplicity is a characteristic trait of his, which can be confirmed by many who dealt with him. E.g. at present, Kurmanov actively places materials by Elena Semyonova, a human rights activist from Pavlodar, on his websites - whom he used to call by no less than "KNB" (National Security Committee of Kazakhstan).

Having been inflamed with a sudden love for Larisa Kharkova's CIURK, Kurmanov bursts into anger because [I quote] "The Industrial Trade Union of Workers of Educational and Scientific Institutions" from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan suddenly found itself in the "Amanat" after a state investigator seized its seal from the association’s leader Larisa Kharkova!" Further on, Kurmanov is discussing this topic in different ways; however, any conscious person - let alone someone who is even slightly familiar with trade union activities - should understand how absurd this accusation is: firstly, the seal of the trade union must be kept directly by the head of this very trade union, and not by the chairman of Kharkova’s Confederation. Secondly, the workers are not serfs (which Kurmanov has probably forgotten in his emotional burst): they could join wherever they like, move from one association to another, and be members of several associations at the same time.

The author of the article then asserts that the branch trade union "Zarya" has "no affiliates and representative offices at all". The same is said about the branch trade union of workers in educational and scientific institutions. At the same time, a reference is made to a response received from the Justice Department of Akmola oblast upon the request by the journal "Socialist", which allegedly confirms Ainur Kurmanov's arguments. In fact, the editors of the magazine "Socialist" addressed a wrong party. The fact is that the branch trade unions that actually have republican status must provide data on branch representative offices to the republican Ministry of Justice, and not to regional departments of justice. "The Exposer" Kurmanov should have known this. As for the "illegality" of the existence of the second trade union mentioned here, Kurmanov does not provide any evidence at all.

Furthermore, Kurmanov is indignant over the fact that the founders of "Amanat" are the two branch trade unions "instead of the supposed minimum of NINE" (as in the text). We hasten to assure Kurmanov that the requirement for nine trade unions exists only in his imagination. The legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan does not know such a requirement.

After the Russian version of this article was published on author's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/acukanov, Yuri Vinkov,  the supporter of Ainur Kurmanov in Russia, started to spread the following rumors in the comments [I quote]: "Founding documents and the seal of the Shimkent scientific workers' union have in fact been stolen - advantage was taken of the death of the chairman in a car crash - and handed over to Amanat." This is an outright lie. There has been no car accident involving the death of the chairman of this union. Moreover, there has been no theft of the seal and of the founding documents. The union acted as a founder of "Amanat" absolutely voluntarily, and its head was present at the first congress of "Amanat".

Perhaps, enough of Kurmanov's gossip. In conclusion, I would like to warn the foreign comrades about trusting this character. "Labor union" "Zhanartu" and "Socialist movement of Kazakhstan" do not exist in nature. Both of these movements exist only in Kurmanov's imagination. Once upon a time, attempts were made in Kazakhstan to create these organizations, but Kurmanov pushed everyone away with his maniacal suspicion, dictatorial habits, and fraud. As a result, this character remained with nothing, and the workers' trade union was organized without his participation. He has nothing left to do, except to envy and make living on Kazakh tales of a network troll.

Be vigilant, comrades!

Andrei Tsukanov