Kazakhstan: political activists are sent to prison as extremists
The authorities of Kazakhstan continue to actively add to the list of political prisoners, despite loud assurances from the President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev that the country is on the path of democratic reforms.
On June 21, a civil activist from the city of Nur-Sultan Askar Kayirbek was sentenced to a year and a half. He was found guilty under article 405 of the Criminal Code “Organization and participation in the activities of a public or religious association or other organization after a court decision banning their activities or liquidation in connection with the implementation of extremism or terrorism”.
According to Facebook group # IHaveAChoiсe #ActivistsNotExtremists, Kayirbek is being persecuted by the authorities of Kazakhstan for attempting to register the peaceful opposition movement “Koshe Partiyasy” even before the movement was recognized by the court as an “extremist organization”. In addition, Kayirbek’s associates say that the authorities didn’t like the fact that he appealed to the international community with a statement that Kazakhstan was violating its international obligations in the field of human rights.
“The illegal and politically motivated verdict was made to Askar Kayirbek during the visit of Yerzhan Kazykhanov (Special representative of President Tokayev for international affairs) to Brussels, where he meets with European diplomats and politicians and talks about the alleged reforms on human rights in Kazakhstan. This verdict and persecution is yet another evidence of violations of international obligations in the field of human rights by the authorities of Kazakhstan, including within the framework of the Agreement on Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation between the European Union and Kazakhstan. We call on the United States, the European Union, Great Britain and Canada to impose personal sanctions against: Nursultan Nazarbayev, the head of the CNS Karim Masimov, the Prosecutor General Gizat Nurdauletov and the Minister of Internal Affairs Erlan Turgumbaev, as well as to demand from the authorities of Kazakhstan to immediately implement the resolution of the European Parliament on the situation with human rights (dated February 11, 2021) and the release of all political prisoners,” the civil activists said in their statement.
Meanwhile, on June 23, trials are scheduled for the cases of other civil activists – Aibek Sabitov, Erbol Yeskhozhin and Ainur Myrzalieva.
Aibek Sabitov was convicted under article 405 in May of this year and sentenced to one year of restriction of freedom and three years of ban on social and political activities, including participation in peaceful protests, to 100 hours of social works and a fine of $ 65.
According to #ActivistsNotExtremists, Sabitov was convicted of appeals and participation in peaceful protests and for a post on social networks, in which he called Koshe Partiyasy the real patriots of the country. On June 23, an appeal court in the case of Sabitov is due to take place in Nur-Sultan.
In addition, the case of Erbol Yeskhozhin will be considered in the capital on the same day and almost at the same time. He is also accused under article 405. According to activists, Yeskhozhin is being prosecuted for his participation and calls for participation in peaceful protests, reposts of publications of the human rights movement “Veritas” about the collection of humanitarian aid for the families of political prisoners and public birthday greetings to Mukhtar Ablyazov (an opposition politician and a fugitive banker, who was convicted in Kazakhstan. Now he is abroad).
Ainur Myrzalieva, in addition to participating in peaceful protests, is also persecuted for reposting Mukhtar Ablyazov’s publications and calling for a commemoration of civil activist Dulat Agadil, who died in the pre-trial detention center.
Meanwhile, as the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights (KIBHR) told ACCA, two small groups of activists went on hunger strike in protest against regular political trials in Almaty and Nur-Sultan. In addition to demands for the release of all political prisoners in the republic, they want to achieve the cancellation of the court ruling recognizing the movement “Koshe Partiyasy” as extremist, since the European Parliament recognized this movement as peaceful.
“Against the background of what is happening, the initiative announced by the President Tokayev to prepare an action plan in order to take “further measures in the field of human rights” looks at least a mockery. It’s worth recalling that the previous National Human Rights Action Plan for 2017-2020 wasn’t only a failure, but also fell on a new wave of political persecution. So it becomes alarming from such initiatives coming from Akorda [residence of the President],” the KIBHR noted.
