Yevgenii Zhovtis will continue his human rights activism in jail
Kazakhstan, Politics and Society3 Comments
Translation of slavasay’s post (RUS)
Yevgenii Zhovtis, the famous Kazakhstani human rights activist, who is currently waiting to serve a four year prison sentence for a traffic violation that caused a man’s death, is undeterred, and will continue to defend himself and others, reported Ardak Zhanabilova, chairman of the Public Oversight Committee for Monitoring Closed Institutions in Almaty and Almatinskaia Oblast.
On Saturday, members of the Public Oversight Committee (POC) paid a planned visit to the Taldykorgan jail as part of monitoring the situation, and met with Yevgenii Zhovtis, who had been held there for three days.
“Yevgenii Aleksandrovich is satisfied with the conditions in which he is being held, and with the way he has been treated,” Zhanabilova said on the phone. According to her, Zhovtis has firmly resolved to defend his innocence and is preparing for further action.
His supporters currently await the verdict, after which they will prepare to launch an appeal with the Amaty oblast court.
“We have passed the Criminal and Procedural Codes on to him, since he is also helping out with his cellmate’s case,” Zhanabilova reports.
The POC chairman told us that members of the committee were left generally satisfied with what they saw. “We visited several cells, saw several wings of the institution, and were left with a good impression. The jail was recently renovated and they were able to improve conditions,” she noted.
Speaking of the conditions in which Zhovtis is being kept, Zhanabilova stressed that they are “the same as those of the other inmates.” “He is being kept in a room measuring 16 m2, which he shares with another person. Their needs are fully met, to the extent that it is possible in this kind of institution,” she said.
According to Zhanabilova, the human rights activist has been on a diet because of stomach problems. He underwent a medical examination.
Zhovtis was indicted at the Balkhash district court in Bakanas on 3 September and arrested in the courtroom. His lawyer and public defenders insist that the trial was unfair, and that the verdict was unjust because of the numerous irregularities that accompanied it.
The trial attracted the attention of many local and international observers, who were shocked by the speed, as well as by what happened in the courtroom.
An organization was recently founded in Kazakhstan in defense of Yevgenii Zhovtis. Leading Kazakhstani and international human rights organizations, political parties and diplomatic missions registered in the country have demanded that the verdict be reviewed.
Voice of Freedom, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
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[...] Slavasay writes that Yevgenii Zhovtis, the famous Kazakhstani human rights activist, who is currently waiting to serve a four year prison sentence for a traffic violation that caused a man’s death, is undeterred, and will continue to defend himself and others. Cancel this reply [...]
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[...] reminds about the story of Eugene Zhovtis, the most prominent Kazakhstani rights activist. He was charged with misuse of vehicle and [...]