A heavy hand

摘要

Visitors to Astana, Kazakhstan's glitzy new capital, can zoom 97 metres (318 feet) up a purpose-built tower and, inside a giant golden egg at its apex, place a hand in the palm print of the president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. When they do, the national anthem plays. The presidential hand has been heavy of late, leaving a firm mark on Kazakhstan's opposition and its independent media. The crackdown began a year ago. On Decemberi6th 2011, the country's independence day, police fired on protesters in the western oil town of Zhanao-zen, killing at least 15. In the year since then, secret police have rounded up activists, including some with only tenuous links to the strike protests.