Kazakhstan: 5 people joined the list of political prisoners
The Expert Council of Human Rights Defenders of Kazakhstan has once again added to the list of political prisoners in Kazakhstan. The list has been revised for the third time during the past five months.
By the decision of the Expert Council, which includes the head of the public fund “Liberty” Galym Ageleuov, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Uralsk week” Lukpan Akhmedyarov, the president of the Fund for the development of parliamentarism in Kazakhstan Zauresh Battalova, the lawyer of the public foundation “Legal Media Center” Gulmira Birzhanova, the head of the public association “Kadyr-Kasiet” Anara Ibraeva, director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) Yevgeny Zhovtis, the human rights activist Yerlan Kaliev, the head of the non-governmental organization “Ar.Rukh.Khak” Bakhytzhan Toregozhina and the head of the non-governmental organization “International Legal Initiative” Amangeldy Shormanbaev, the list of political prisoners in Kazakhstan was supplemented by five activists from the opposition and the civil sector. They are Maksut Appasov, Medet Yesseneev, Abzal Kanaliev, Merey Korbakov and Aydar Syzdykov.
Maksut Appasov is a civic activist from the city of Ekibastuz. A criminal case has been initiated against him for participating in the activities of the organization “Koshe Partyasy”, which is banned in Kazakhstan. In November 2020, despite his absence, a search was carried out in Appasov’s house, after which the activist was put on the wanted list. On February 24, 2021, Maksut Appasov voluntarily went for interrogation, after which he was detained. According to the members of the Expert Council, Appasov is being prosecuted for his active civil position.
A civil activist from Kostanay, Medet Yesseneev, was sentenced in 2020 to 1 year of restriction of freedom with the establishment of probationary control for posting up a banner in support of political prisoners and an inscription in support of the banned movement “Democratic choice of Kazakhstan”. On September 4, 2020, the restriction of freedom was replaced by imprisonment for “violating the conditions of probation”. Yesseneev, like Appasov, was repeatedly persecuted for his social activities. He was detained at the protests, followed and brought to administrative responsibility.
A disabled person of the 3rd group, Abzal Kanaliev from Aktau, was also repeatedly prosecuted for participating in video challenges, pickets, for providing humanitarian assistance to the families of political prisoners and politically persecuted. He was subjected to administrative penalties in the form of arrest and fines. On November 21, 2020, he was recognized as a suspect in the activities of a banned organization. As part of the pre-trial investigation, he was chosen a preventive measure “house arrest”. However, on February 23, 2021, the preventive measure was changed to detention.
Another disabled person of the 3rd group, who is registered with an oncologist, Merey Korbakov has been persecuted by the authorities for more than a year. Korbakov is a civic activist from the village of Beineu in Mangystau region. In December last year, he was placed in a temporary detention center for a period of 2 months within the framework of a criminal case under the same article “participation in the activities of a banned organization”. In addition, by the court decision in December last year, he was sentenced to 40 hours of public works for insulting a government official.
The fifth in the list of political prisoners was the capital’s activist Aydar Syzdykov. He has also been persecuted for a long time by the authorities for his civic activism, expressing his opinion, participating in rallies and showing his position. He was repeatedly subjected to administrative arrests for participating in public events. At the moment, he is in custody for participating in the activities of the banned organization “Koshe Partyasy”.
It’s worth recalling that the last time the list of political prisoners in Kazakhstan was edited in December last year. Then the Expert Council deleted from it seven people, who were released from prison, but added six activists from the opposition and the civil sector.
