Marat Zhylanbayev

Marat Tolegenuly Zhylanbayev (Kazakh: Марат Төлегенұлы Жыланбаев, romanized: Marat Tölegenulı Jılanbayev, [mɑˈrɑt tʰɵlʲeˈɡʲeno̙ɫɯ ʐɯɫɑnˈbɑjɯf]; born 19 August 1963) is a Kazakh human rights activist, politician, and former long-distance runner. As an athlete, Zhylanbayev became known for running Ultramarathons across the largest deserts in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. After starting his political career in local politics in the city of Ekibastuz from the late 1990s, Zhylanbayev became more widely known as an activist following the 2022 Kazakh unrest, when he attempted to officially register his own political party "Alga, Kazakhstan!" (Kazakh: Алға, Қазақстан!, lit. 'Forward, Kazakhstan!'). In May 2023, he was arrested and charged with "financing extremist activities" and "participating in a banned extremist organisation"; he has since been described as a political prisoner by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Human Rights Watch.