View source for National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan

{{Infobox Government agency
|name            = National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
|logo            = Coat_of_arms_knb1.svg
|logo_caption    = The emblem of The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan
|nativename_a    = {{lang-kz|Қазақстан Республикасы Ұлттық Қауіпсіздік Комитеті}}<br/>{{lang-ru|Комитет Национальной Безопасности Республики Казахстан}}
|formed          = {{Start date and age|1992|7|13|df=y}}
|preceding1      = [[KGB]]
|chief1_name     = [[Karim Massimov]]
|chief1_position = Chairman<ref name="AbykayevSecondTerm"/>
|website         = [http://www.knb.kz/index.html knb.kz]
|footnotes       = Also referred to by the abbreviations '''KNB'''<ref name="Knight161">{{harvnb|Knight|1997|p=161}}</ref><ref name="Nephew">{{citation|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Kazakh_Presidents_Nephew_Gets_Post_In_Security_Service/1926946.html|title=Kazakh President's Nephew Gets Post In Security Service|date=2010-01-12|accessdate=2010-01-27|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty}}</ref> or '''NSC''',<ref name="CACI">{{citation|periodical=The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Analyst|url=http://www.cacianalyst.org/newsite/newsite/?q=node/3797|date=2006-08-03|accessdate=2010-02-02|title=Kazakhstan's Intelligence Service in Disarray|last=McDermott|first=Roger N.}}</ref> or unofficially as the '''Kazakh National Security Service'''<ref>{{citation|publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=2010-01-20|accessdate=2010-02-02|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/KNB_Gives_Kazakh_Uranium_Company_Head_New_Lawyer/1934518.html|title=KNB Gives Kazakh Uranium Company Head New Lawyer|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty}}</ref>
}}

The '''National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan''' ('''NSC''') is an intelligence agency in [[Kazakhstan]].<ref name="CACI"/> It was founded on 13 July 1992.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.knb.kz/page.php?page_id=72&lang=2&article_id=3437&fontsize=12&fontfamily=Times%20New%20Roman&page=1|title=Adequately react to modern threats|publisher=National Security Committee|publication-place=Kazakhstan|date=2007-07-13|accessdate=2009-08-01}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="Knight161"/> In December 1995, a new presidential decree modified some of the NSC's powers.<ref>{{citation|title=Об органах национальной безопасности Республики Казахстан|periodical=Ведомости Верховного Совета Республики Казахстан|date=1995-12-21|volume=24|number=157|url=http://www.pavlodar.com/zakon/?dok=00070&ogl=all|accessdate=2010-01-28}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Ferghana20090111">{{citation|url=http://enews.fergananews.com/news.php?id=929|periodical=[[Ferghana Information Agency]]|title=Kazakhstan: Journalist Ramazan Yesergepov faces the prospect of spending the next 8 years behind the bars|date=2009-01-11|accessdate=2011-04-20}}</ref> The case led to domestic and international condemnation.<ref name="SeattleTimes">{{citation|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009652242_apaskazakhstanjailededitor.html|periodical=Seattle Times|date=2009-08-13|accessdate=2011-04-20|title=Kazakhstan court refuses to free jailed editor|last=Leonard|first=Peter}}</ref><ref>{{citation|periodical=Daily Times of Pakistan|title=Rights group raps Kazakh record before OSCE summit|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010%5C12%5C01%5Cstory_1-12-2010_pg14_4|date=2010-12-01|accessdate=2011-04-20}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Nephew"/>

==Structure==
The NSC includes the Arystan ('Lions') commando unit.<ref>{{citation|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1143579.html|date=2006-02-22|accessdate=2010-12-13|title=Suspects in slaying of opposition leader reportedly from Kazakh security service}}</ref>

==List of chairmen==
*[[Bulat Baekenov]], October 1991 - December 1993<ref name="Bzglyad">{{citation|url=http://www.respublika-kaz.info/news/politics/6787/|title=Девять жизней Комитета нацбезопасности|first=Николай|last=Кузнецов|date=2009-12-11|accessdate=2010-01-28|periodical=Взгляд|volume=45|number=134}}</ref>
*[[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<ref name="Bzglyad"/>
*[[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<ref name="Bzglyad"/>
*[[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<ref name="Bzglyad"/>
*[[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.<ref name="Bzglyad"/><ref>{{citation|periodical=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/415736.stm|title=Kazakh sackings over plane scandal|accessdate=2009-08-01|date=1999-08-09}}</ref> Reappointed in 2010 after the removal of [[Adil Shayakhmetov]].<ref name="AbykayevSecondTerm">{{citation|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62106|title=Kazakhstan: Coup Rumor a Sign of Factional Infighting in Astana|last=Lillis|first=Joanna|date=2010-10-07|accessdate=2010-12-13|periodical=Eurasianet}}</ref>
*[[Marat Tazhin]], May 2001 - December 2001<ref name="Bzglyad"/>
*[[Nartai Dutbayev]], December 2001 - 22 February 2006; resigned in scandal over murder of opposition politician [[Altynbek Sarsenbayev]]<ref name="Bzglyad"/><ref>{{citation|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|title=Central Asia Report: Week at a Glance|date=2006-03-10|accessdate=2010-01-27|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1342077.html}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4736230.stm|periodical=BBC News|title=Kazakh officers linked to murder|date=2006-01-26|accessdate=2010-01-28}}</ref>
*[[Amangeldy Shabdarbayev]], 2 March 2006 - 7 December 2009; removed from his post for unclear reasons<ref name="Shayakhmetov">{{citation|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|title=Kazakhstan Approves New National Security Committee Chief|date=2009-12-09|accessdate=2010-01-27|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Kazakhstan_Approves_New_National_Security_Committee_Chief/1899272.html}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1066303.html|periodical=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|title=Kazakh Senate Approves New Intelligence Chief|date=2006-03-02|accessdate=2010-01-27}}</ref>
*[[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.<ref name="AbykayevSecondTerm"/><ref name="Shayakhmetov"/>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Citation|title=Spies without cloaks: the KGB's successors|first=Amy W.|last=Knight|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-691-01718-1}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Kazakhstan|Intelligence}}
*[http://www.knb.kz Official website] {{en icon}}/{{kk icon}}/{{ru icon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}

{{National intelligence agencies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Security Committee Of The Republic Of Kazakhstan}}
[[Category:Government of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1992]]
[[Category:Intelligence agencies]]