FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN NOMADIC KAZAKH SOCIETY AS A LEGAL INSTRUMENT FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION

This article examines the legal function of freedom of speech in nomadic Kazakh society, where oral discourse played a central role in dispute resolution and social regulation. In the absence of written legislation, customary law and oral traditions formed the foundation of the legal system. The spoken word functioned not only as a means of communication but also as a legally recognised regulatory tool.

The institution of biys (traditional judges), known for their eloquence and moral authority, resolved conflicts through persuasion and justice rather than coercion. Public assemblies reflected democratic principles, with freedom of speech ensuring openness, equality of voices, and collective decision-making.

The study also highlights the legal significance of the principle of sozge toqtau (yielding to the word), a customary mechanism for achieving reconciliation and mutual understanding. The boys were the primary enforcers of this practice, which promoted peace and social cohesion. By analysing historical sources and oral practices, the article concludes that freedom of speech in Kazakh society served both cultural and legal functions, contributing to the development of national legal consciousness and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. The purpose of the article is to reveal the legal and regulatory functions of freedom of speech in traditional Kazakh society, to analyze the institute of biys as a mechanism for pre-trial dispute resolution through the art of eloquence, and to substantiate the legal significance of the "sozge toktau" (conceding to a just word) principle within the system of Kazakh customary law.

1. Zimanov S.Z. Qazaq qūqyğyn bağalau tarihy turaly [About the history of the assessment of Kazakh law].// Qazaqtyñ ata zañdary: qūjattar, derekter, zertteuler:– Almaty: Jetı Jarğy, 2004. – T. 2. – 7–14 p. [in Kazakh]

2. Kenjaliev Z.J. Köşpelı qazaq qoğamyndağy dästürlı qūqyqtyq mädeniet. [Traditional Kazakh folk culture] – Almaty: Jetı Jarğy, 1997. – 192 p. [in Russian]

3. Sartaev S.S. Qazaq bi soty/ [Kazakh dance court].– Almaty: Jetı Jarğy, 2009. – T. 10. – 271–275 p. [in Kazakh]

4. Radlov V.V. Obrazsy narodnoi literatury türkskih plemen. Kazahskie narechia. [Images of folk literature of the Turkic tribes. Kazakh dialect]– M.: Tip. İmperatorskoi akademii nauk, 1870. – T. 3. – 289 p. [in Russian]

5. Adambaev B.A. Şeşendık öner. Monografialyq ocherk. [Oratory art] – Almaty: Jazuşy, 1969. – 140 p. [in Kazakh]

6. Sartaev S.S., İbraeva A.S. Pravovaia kültura. [Legal culture]. Vestnik KazGU. – 1997. – №3. – P. 74–80. [in Russian]

7. Qosymova G. Qazaq şeşendık önerınıñ negızderı. [Fundamentals of Kazakh oratory] – Almaty: Bılım, 2003. – 260 p. [in Kazakh]

8. Özbekūly S. Köşpelı qazaq örkenietındegı qūqyq. [Law in nomadic Kazakh art] – Almaty: Mektep, 2002. – 224 p. [in Kazakh]

9. Eshojin İ. Şeşendık şiyrlary. [Secrets of oratory] – Almaty: Qainar, 1993. – 203 p. [in Kazakh]

10. Span A., Äbılhan M. Ermembet bi. [Ermenbet dance] – Astana: Saryarqa, 2003. – 304 p. [in Kazakh]

11. Töreqūl N. Dalanyñ dara dılmarlary. [The steppe dilmar of the steppe] – Almaty: Qazaqstan, 2001. – 592 p. [in Kazakh]

12. Zimanov S.Z. Sostoianie i zadachi razrabotki problemy obychnogo prava kazahov. [The state and tasks of developing the problem of customary law of the Kazakhs]. – Alma-Ata: Nauka, 1989. – 140p. [in Russian]

13. Laubaeva A. Şeşendık öner jäne adamgerşılık. [Oratory and morality]. – Almaty: Qazaq universitetı, 2004. – 357– 364 p. [in Kazakh]

14. UNESCO. Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists: Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. — Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2023. — Access mode: Available at: — URL:https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists [in English] (accessed: 06.01.2025).

15. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: Rights to Lands, Territories and Resources. Volume V. — New York: United Nations, 2021. — 234 p. — ISBN 978-92-1- 130430-8. — Available at: — URL: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples [in English] (accessed: 06.01.2025).