Translation of Klavdia Razina‘s post (RUS).

Crossposted on Azattyq.

Author: Sultan-Khan Akkulyuly

Radio Azattyq hosted a roundtable discussion on Kazakh human rights organizations, which are being criticized by relatives of political prisoners. The discussion revealed much deeper problems.

IGNORING APPEALS

According to some of our listeners, there is growing dissatisfaction in Kazakhstan with human rights organizations, which have been turning down more and more clients whose civil rights and liberties were allegedly violated. This comes just before Kazakhstan is to assume chairmanship of the OSCE. Taking part in our discussion will be Roza Akylbekova, acting director of Kazakhstan’s bureau of human rights; Bareta Yergalieva, chair of “Demokratiia i pravo” (“Democracy and the Law”), a historical and legal research center; Raushan Yesergepova, wife of an independent journalist who has been sentenced to three years in jail; and Zhainagul Aidarkhan, wife of Aron Atabek, a famous poet and activist who has been sentenced to 18 years in jail and labeled by some as a political prisoner.

In this post and others to follow, we will share their opinions regarding the human rights situation in Kazakhstan, as well as the work of human rights activists, with our readers.

Sultan-Khan AKKULYULY:

One can cite a number of cases in which human rights organizations have been criticized for failing to notice or simply ignoring blatant instances of human rights violations.

Among them is the issue with Almaty’s Shanyrak district, where four people including Aron Atabek were arrested and given long prison sentences; the journalist Ramazan Yesergepov; Muslim immigrants who were forced to leave Kazakhstan and now live without legal protection in the Czech Republic; the multitude of Kazakh citizens who are discriminated against for religious reasons.

Among them is also the fate of the Baptist organization leader Victor Leven, who faces deportation to Germany (where he now holds a passport) as soon as his wife gives birth; and the notorious situation with “red forced laborers,” former high-ranking officers of the police, who were nearly transferred to a regular penal colony, where their lives would have been in serious danger.

To be continued…