Adil Semeykhanuly is a Kazakh scholar, essayist, and editor for the Kazakh-language newspaper Xinjiang (“Шынжаң”). He was reportedly first detained in January 2024, released after 7-8 months, and then transferred to house arrest for insufficient evidence. In August 2025, he was sentenced to six and a half years for charges related to a “negative interpretation” of Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbaev. It has been reported that his case, alongside other Kazakh intellectuals, are part of a crackdown on Kazakhs in Xinjiang, and that his work at Xinjiang contributed to his targeting.