Kanat Darbaev

Kanat Darbaev is a former village akim (head) of the Besskol rural district in North Kazakhstan, who was involved in a public controversy last year when he was stopped by police on suspicion of driving under the influence. His refusal to take a sobriety test led to a similar conviction and administrative penalties. Darbaev has asserted that the incident was a personal vendetta linked to his efforts to protect local forests from being cut down by influential individuals.