Rakhmetolla Zakarya is a Teaching Professor at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan. He earned his Ph.D. in History from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Dr. Zakarya is a leading researcher involved in several historical projects focusing on rehabilitation, migration, and war studies. He has extensive experience collaborating with Kazakh-Polish and Kazakh-Lithuanian historical commissions investigating the fate of Polish and Lithuanian prisoners in the GULAG. Dr. Zakarya is a Bolashak Scholar and a Visiting Scholar at the Davis Center for the 2025–2026 academic year.