Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the former head of the company “Kazatomprom”, sentenced to 14 years in prison, who spent 11 years behind bars, would be released in 15 days. If the Prosecutor’s office does not challenge the court decision.
Mukhtar Dzhakishev was arrested in 2009 on charges of selling state shares in the largest uranium deposits in Kazakhstan. In 2010, he was convicted of corruption. In June 2012, another sentence was passed against Dzhakishev on charges of misappropriation of other people’s property, fraud, forgery of documents and abuse of power.
However, even then, the Kazakh and international public expressed doubts that Dzhakishev was corrupt. Most often, it was suggested that the ex-head of Kazatomprom was a political prisoner and wound up in jail only because he was a close friend of the fugitive banker, Mukhtar Ablyazov.
On July 9, 2013, Mukhtar Dzhakishev filed a complaint with the UN Human Rights Committee. The Committee, having examined it, concluded that Kazakhstan violated Dzhakishev’s rights guaranteed by a number of articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, the assessment of the HRC by the Kazakh authorities was ignored.
After serving 8 years, in November 2018, Mukhtar Dzhakishev filed a request for parole, because his health deteriorated sharply in the colony. However, he was denied the request. In July 2019, Dzhakishev again asked for parole and again to no avail.
In September last year, the international human rights organization “Freedom House” called on Kazakhstan to release Dzhakishev, and the International Bureau for Human Rights in Kazakhstan stated that there was a political component in Dzhakishev’s case. In addition, human rights organizations expressed concern that Dzhakishev was not provided with the necessary medical care. In the colony, he became an invalid of the third group, suffering from arterial hypertension with a 50 percent disability and chronic brain ischemia. In addition, being behind bars, Dzhakishev survived 24 hypertensive crises.
Citizens of Kazakhstan have also joined human rights organizations. In almost all cities, single pickets were held demanding the release of Mukhtar Dzhakishev.
In view of the deteriorating state of health, Dzhakishev filed a petition for parole for the third time and a miracle happened. The city court No. 2 of Semey granted the petition.
“We must keep in mind that the decision on the release of Dzhakishev at his request will come into force 15 days after its announcement,” the chairman of the city court No. 2, Zhannat Abenova, told reporters after the court decision was announced. “During this time, the prosecutor has the right to appeal the court decision. Until the sentence comes into force, the convicted person will be in the institution. The court applied conditional release to him, having regard to the state of his health. A probationary control has been established against him. He is forbidden to leave the country before the end of his term (three years, three months and 16 days). In case of violation of the requirements imposed on him, parole may be canceled, and in this case, Dzhakishev will be returned to prison.”
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