Алаш Орда

Kozybagarov Akhmetzhan is a public and political figure, an active figure of the Alash movement.

Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov was born in  the village of Utey  of the Chingistau volost of the Semipalatinsk region (the present Abai district of the East Kazakhstan oblast), on May 1, 1879.  After graduating from a boarding school in Semipalatinsk, he studied at the 4-year  paramedic school in Omsk (1901-1906),he was an active participant in socio-political work. In Omsk  Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov became a participant of the youth movement “Birlik” and got acquainted with political figures Abilkayyr Dosov, Zhanaydar Saduakasov, Hamza Zhusipbekov. During this period the political views of Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov was formed  under the influence of the Alash movement and remained all the years unchanged. He became a devoted veteran of  Alash. Akhmetzhan thought about the difficult fate of the Kazakh people, which for more than 200 years was dependent on the Russian Empire.

In  1906-1918  after graduation  he worked as a paramedic in the provincial hospital in Semipalatinsk.

The Alash Party is the first political organization in the history of Kazakhs organized by Alikhan Bukeikhanov. Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov became a member of the Semipalatinsk Kazakh Organizing Committee (the Soviet of the Regional Organizational Kazakh Committee) from March to April 1917. In July 1917 Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov was nominated as a delegate to the First All-Kazak Congress  (Orenburg), where he was a candidate under No. 8 from the Kazakhs of the Semipalatinsk oblast to the Constituent Assembly of Russia. A.Bokeikhanov, G.Potanin, A.Ermekov, H.Gabbasov, M.Boshtaev, J.Akbaev, B.Sarsenov took part in the work of the congress. The congress examined issues of national autonomy, state power, the court, education, people’s militia, zemstvos, religions and other socio-political problems.

About work Kozybagarova as a medical assistant was noted in the newspaper “Kazakh”.  It was said about him as a man who loves his nation, his people.

From December 1917 to March 1918, A. Kozybagarov was a nominated chairman of the Semipalatinsk Uyezd Zemstvo Board (he was elected at the 1st congress of the Extraordinary District Assembly, December 6-17, 1917). Since March of  1918   he was a member of the Semipalatinsk Uyezd Soviet  of Peasants and Kyrgyz deputies from Alash Orda with the right to a decisive vote.

Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov took part in the opening of Kazakh schools and the training of national teaching staff. He took part in this work together with him Mannan Turganbaev, Mukhtar Auezov, Jusipbek Aimautov, Abikei and Kanysh Satbaev. At that time, two Kazakh schools: a Muslim and a secondary school for women  were opened.

In  1918 he  was elected a member of the Semipalatinsk regional Soviet of the Alash party.

By 1920, the number of open primary schools had reached seventy. But a  problem of shortage of pedagogical personnel and educational supplies  was still. Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov spoke about this in the article “Oku Kuraldary” ( “Textbooks”), published in the newspaper “Kazakh”(№265)  of September 16,  in 1918.

In  1921-1922  he  headed the Arkat Medical Department in Shyngistau and he built a polyclinic at his own means. 16 departments were opened in the clinic.

Later in July of  1973 Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov’s son Alash Kazybagarov went to Arcat, where he met with former doctor Azimzhan. During the meeting it was found out that the polyclinic existed until the 1963year. From  1923  to  1927  Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov worked as chairman and deputy chairman of the board of cooperation.

From 1929 to 1932 Kozybagarov was imprisoned, but after he being released in connection with the lack of evidence of his guilt. After that, Kozybagarov went to Almaty. In  1932-1937  he worked as the head of the doctor’s office of the brick factory No. 2 of Alma-Ata.

Akhmetzhan Kozybagarov was arrested on August 25, 1937. He was  imprisoned in Semipalatinsk and sentenced to be shot.

He was rehabilitated in 1957.