MONITORING OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN FROM MAY 1 TO MAY 31, 2022

On May 1, in Nur-Sultan, activist Musabaev Marat was sentenced to 15 days of arrest under Article 488, Part 12 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK. The court decision was based on the fact that on his Facebook page he had called for participation in a nationwide rally “In Support of Ukraine. For the departure from the CSTO and the EAEU”, that had been announced the day before[1].

On May 1, in Zhanaozen, activists Dosekeyeva Zhadyra and Kulmanova Baktygul were fined by court decision in the amount of 64323tg. The reason was their participation in an unauthorized rally on August 30, 2021 against the vaccination of children[2].

On May 1, in Kokshetau, activists Zhanuzakov Marat, Nigmetov Valikhan, Baltashev Baurzhan, Mukhamedzhanov Kuat, Shakenova Gauhar were detained and warned by a court decision for their participation in an unauthorized “rally” in support of Ukraine on April 14[3].

On May 1, in Zhanaozen, the police detained Sholpan and Ziyada Utekeevs, Zhadyra Dosekeeva, and Baktygul Kulmanova, who were trying to attend an anti-war rally in support of Ukraine; their posters have been confiscated and burned[4].

On May 1, in Almaty, near the Central Recreation and Entertainment Park, in a place that was announced as a site for an anti-war rally in support of Ukraine, police officers detained activists Ulzhabaev Temirkhan, Mubarakov Aidar, Yusupov Niyazbek, Kulmanova Kumis[5].

On May 1, in Kyzylorda, the activist Zhubanov Miras was detained in the Central Square during a solitary picket, they took away his poster with the demands of the rally and then after 4 hours he was released[6].

On May 1, in Almaty, the director of the “Qaganat” canteen chain, Bugimbayeva Chinara, informed that a police officer came to the canteen and demanded that the canteen be closed and no one be allowed in, since there was a rally taking place in the city[7].

May 1, Almaty, activists Zhanakbaeva Gulbala, Yerezhepova Kulbarshyn, Mukanova Gulmira and Polatova Zhuldyz were rudely detained by police when they were leaving their friends. The police did not provide any explanations or documents as to the reason for the detention. The activists were taken to the Medeu District Police Department and later released[8].

On May 1, in Almaty, the activist Polatova Zhuldyz committed suicide. And the reason was that her human dignity had been insulted and humiliated. Now she is in the hospital. She was driven to self-aggression by the police officers[9].

May 1, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz [10].

May 3, Shymkent, Sadibekov Moldabay, Article 272, 293, Part 2, Article 380, Part 3; the Al-Farabi district court proceeded to hear the criminal case in connection with the January protests. Sadibekov was charged with “participation in mass riots” and “use of violence against a representative of authority”[11].

May 3, Nur-Sultan, “The investigation of 288 criminal cases related to the January events against 473 defendants has been completed and sent to the court, including 208 cases in the city of Almaty, 49 cases in the Almaty region, 10 cases in the Zhambyl region, 9 cases in the city of Shymkent, 5 cases in the Kyzylorda region, 2 cases in the Akmola region and 1 case in the Atyrau region”, said a representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office[12].

May 3, Nur-Sultan, “The Prosecutor’s Office has identified 721 suspects in the organization of the disorders, 281 people are in custody: 72 in Almaty, 35 in the East Kazakhstan region, 44 in the Zhambyl region, 43 in Shymkent, 5 in the Almaty region and 36 in Kyzylorda”, said a representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office[13].

May 3, Nur-Sultan, “1,050 criminal cases are pending, of which 157 cases of theft, 146 cases of illegal arms trafficking, 23 cases of intentional damage to property, 150 persons are suspected in the commission of serious crimes and are currently in custody, 333 suspects and 81 defendants were released from detention”, said a representative of the Interior Ministry[14].

May 3, Almaty region, Zarechny village, Zheksebayev Askhat, Article 405, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan – 5 years of imprisonment. The Kapshagay City Court upheld the motion of Zheksebayev to replace the unserved part of the punishment with restriction of liberty[15].

May 3, Almaty, “The Adil Soz Foundation, a group of journalists, experts, and media lawyers have developed a concept of a law that we suggest be called “On Guarantees of Freedom of Speech”. The concept consists of two major parts. The first part deals with the guarantees of freedom of speech for citizens, and the second one deals specifically with mass media as a public institution”, said Tamara Kaleyeva, President of the Adil Soz Foundation[16].

May 3, Almaty, International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) is concerned about recent developments which could be considered as pressure on the Public Foundation “Ar.Rukh.Khak” in relation to its efforts to document human rights violations perpetrated in connection with the mass protests and unrest that took place in Kazakhstan in January 2022 and to support and assist activists in this context. IPHR sent an open letter to the Human Rights Commissioner and the General Prosecutor of the Republic of Kazakhstan, urging them to ensure a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the incidents described[17].

On May 3, International Organization Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) published the 2022 edition of the World Press Freedom Index. Kazakhstan ranked 122nd out of 180 countries, which is 33 positions higher than in the previous year’s Index, yet Kazakhstan remains in the group of countries where the situation with press freedom has been assessed as difficult^[18].

May 3, about 40 journalists were injured, attacked, and detained during the January events in Kazakhstan, according to Reporters without Borders[19].

May 3, Nur-Sultan, “As for the deaths of civilians who fell under fire during the January events, no one representing subdivisions of the Kazakh Defense Ministry has been recognized as a suspect to date, but the leadership of the Armed Forces has been involved as witnesses in criminal cases», said speakers of the Defense Ministry and General Staff at a briefing[20].

On May 3, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev signed into law a controversial bill to protect children’s rights that enables authorities to require owners of messengers and social networks to remove or block any content deemed to be cyberbullying against children. This law provides the authorities with an additional tool for censorship[21].

May 3, Petropavlovsk, Kaiyrbek Askar, Article 405, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, convicted for a term of 2 years and 2 months. The court upheld the motion of Kaiyrbek, to replace the unserved part of the punishment with a more lenient form of punishment that is not related to deprivation of liberty[22].

May 4, Shymkent, Kulbaev Yergali, Article 269, Part 2, Article 293, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Enbekshy District Court of the city has started to hear the criminal proceedings against the activist. He has been accused of calling for participation in “mass disturbances in the days of January protests, violence against police officers and military personnel”[23].

May 4, Almaty, Imanbay Inga, Article 488 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Administrative Court of the city has fined the activist 91890 tenge for her participation in the protest rally on 4 April near the Police Department of the city of Almaty[24].

May 4, Nur-Sultan, “The Kazakhstani authorities have refused to enshrine Nazarbayev’s role in the Constitution; the historical role of the first president is common knowledge and does not require a special enshrinement in the Constitution”, said State Secretary Yerlan Karin[25].

May 4, Uralsk, Okhasov Orynbay, Article 405 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, previously convicted to 1 year of imprisonment. The court’s appellate panel dismissed the activist’s complaint against the lower court’s decision to replace the unserved part of the term of restriction of liberty with imprisonment for the same term[26].

May 4, Nur-Sultan, Makin Dauren, an artist, has been taken into custody on suspicion of “propaganda of terrorism”, the National Security Committee was investigating the case, said the artist’s father, Makin Askarbek[27].

May 4, Shymkent, “Bekkulova Shalipa, the lawyer of the PF “Ar.Rukh.Khak”, was interrogated by the NSC officer Captain Yerzhan. They asked her about the DCK, who is the leader of the party and who finances it, whether she and her husband lawyer Nurpeisov are the members of the DCK. They said that they allegedly had some phone conversation (without showing it and not familiarizing her with it) and they should conduct a confrontation with someone, take a voice pattern and carry out an examination”, said Bakhytzhan Toregozhina[28].

On May 5, in Nur-Sultan, President Tokayev signed a decree to hold a republican referendum on June 5 to adopt amendments and additions to the Constitution. Later in the day, he signed a bill amending the constitutional law «On Republican Referendum”, which passed promptly through both chambers of the Parliament[29].

May 5, “The investigation into the torture of the Kyrgyz jazzman Vikram Ruzakhunov has been suspended because the victim did not show up for the investigation. The citizen of Kyrgyzstan refuses to come to Almaty to testify against those who caused his injuries, as he is afraid of provocation and fears for his life” – reported his lawyer Renata Kerimova[30].

On May 5, in Nur-Sultan, the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan returned to activists the documents which had been filed as part of the registration procedure for the “Alga, Kazakhstan!” party. A day earlier, activists had filed about 1,600 signatures with the agency in order to formally establish an initiative group which would continue to work on the establishment of a political organization. The activists are going to file a lawsuit[31].

May 5, “The investigation into the deaths during the January events in Kazakhstan lacks transparency, the investigation into the torture of detainees is delayed and materials are passed from one agency to another”, Human Rights Watch states[32].

May 6, Almaty, the arrest of Mamay Zhanbolat, Articles 274, 378 of the Criminal Code of RK, was extended for a month. The judge considers the investigator’s arguments that due to the need to conduct investigative actions and complete the investigation, there is a necessity of additional time of not less than one month with the extension of arrest to be justified[33].

6 May, Shymkent, Kumisbaev Amirkhan, Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the RK, is being posthumously prosecuted for participation in the January events. There is information that our authorities prosecute all the dead under the article «Participation in mass riots» and there is no information whether criminal cases were initiated against the dead under Article 99 of the Criminal Code «Murder»[34].

May 6, Nur-Sultan, Zlatoslava Bliznyuk, the Court of Appeal decided to release the citizen of Ukraine who was charged with “violating the order of organizing and holding a rally” and replaced her administrative arrest with a fine in the amount of 45,945 tenge. The court also revoked the resolution on her expulsion from the country [35].

On May 6, in Almaty, in front of the building of the city prosecutor’s office, about a dozen people who were accused of participating in “mass disturbances” during the January protests have gathered. They were complaining about the biased investigation into the cases of torture they have been subjected to after being detained[36].

May 6, Almaty, Makhanbaev Kosay, the victim of torture said that “the investigation was seeking to cover up the case; the records made before January 13 in the register of the detention facility have disappeared without a trace. Recently we have been summoned to the anti-corruption agency. There we have been told that our complaints of torture were not confirmed and we were offered to agree to drop the case”[37].

On May 6, in Almaty, representatives of the city prosecutor’s office invited the gathered torture victims to come with them to the building, but they did not let the journalists in and refused to answer their questions[38].

On May 6, in Shymkent, the city court dismissed a complaint about the illegality of the decision of the investigative court to search the house of the lawyer Nurpeisov Galym and his wife Bekkulova Shalipa. The court did not permit journalists to be present at the session[39].

On May 7, together with the Central Asian Labor Rights Monitoring Mission; the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (CITURK); the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law jointly developed a petition demanding the release of Yelshibaev Erzhan[40].

May 7, Almaty. “Those who were injured on the squares and relatives of those killed do not understand why criminal cases have not been initiated against the military who openly shot at peaceful protesters ‘to kill without warning’”, said human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[41].

May 7, Almaty, “The authorities practice the infiltration of agents and secret informants among activists and peaceful protesters, and thus put their lives in danger! We demand an end to such practices! Kazakhstan is a state governed by the rule of law!”- said human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[42].

May 7, Almaty, “Police departments, Nur-Otan party offices, akimats, gun stores, ATMs, etc. were looted by professionally trained provocateurs, skilled with weapons and confident of their impunity! Where are they now? Where did they all disappear right after the arrest of K. Masimov? And the police detained peaceful citizens who came to the square in support of Zhanaozen and many of them were on the square out of curiosity”,said human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[43].

May 7, Almaty, Imanbay Inga, Article 488, Part 7 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was fined 153 150 tenge for having called on Facebook for a rally on May 7, 2022 in Valikhanov Square[44].

May 7, Almaty, Baiterekov Nurbol and Mirmambetova Gulnar, Article 488, Part 11 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK, were fined 153150 tg for taking part in a rally on March 12, 2022 in front of the City Police Department.

On May 7, in Almaty, Dostiyarov Abzal was sentenced to 20 days of arrest and Dostiyarov Dauren to 15 days of arrest under Article 488, Part 11 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan for participating in a protest in front of the city police department on May 4, 2022.

On May 7, in Almaty, Mergenbaev Sagidolla, Article 488, Part 6 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was put under arrest for 15 days for taking part in a protest in front of the City Police Department on May 7, 2022.

On May 8, in Almaty city Nutusheva Alma made a petition in which she demands to recognize her father Aron Atabek as a victim of political repressions and rehabilitate him posthumously. Appealing to President Tokayev, Alma demanded that the case of the Shanyrak events be returned for re-examination [45].

On 8 May, in Uralsk, Kusainov Medet, was stopped by police officers, who illegally imposed two fines on him for violating the rules of the operation of the vehicle. These fines were issued as a warning from the security services for his participation in the rally of May 1, 2022, where he has been detained[46].

On May 10, in Almaty, the human rights fund “Kaharman” on behalf of the coalition #ActivistsNotExtremists urges the diplomats of the EU, the USA, OSCE to make a public defense of the lawyer and human rights activist Bekkulova Shalipa. Lawyer Bekkulova leads the defense of those politically persecuted within the activities of the PF “Ar.Rukh. Khak” and has fallen under the repression of the National Security Committee ( NSC) in the city of Shymkent because of these activities[47].

May 11, Zarechnyi village, Facility LA-155/14, Yermek Narymbayev, Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “There were two criminal cases against Narymbayev: under one of them he was supposed to serve his sentence and under the other one there was a pre-trial investigation regarding illegal border crossing. As of today, we have succeeded in stopping the prosecution for crossing the border, since the case was covered by an amnesty”, said lawyer Balgabayeva[48].

May 11, Almaty, “I am absolutely not satisfied with the current situation in the judicial system, I stand for its reform. The judge must be powerful and independent so as to protect the rights, freedoms and interests of citizens from any unlawful decisions and actions of government agencies. And our judges depend upon court presidents, public opinion, the political situation in the country, that’s why they are so weak and helpless”, said lawyer Rena Kerimova[49].

11 May, Almaty, “I also think that our court depends on the authorities. It is politically motivated; I was once again persuaded of this when I was working with the cases of the January events. The court is far from being independent and impartial” – said lawyer Zhan Kunserkin[50].

May 12, Almaty, “About established practice of persecution and pressure by law-enforcement bodies in Kazakhstan on the eve of protest rallies scheduled on different occasions. Also, to impose personal sanctions on Tokayev and Nazarbayev by the West” – this was stated by civic activists at the press-conference in the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights[51].

May 12, Almaty, representatives of unregistered organization “Nagyz Atazhurt” (or “Nagyz Atazhurt Eriktileri”) which advocates the rights of ethnic Kazakhs persecuted in China, stated at the press conference that they plan to establish a political party[52].

May 13, Almaty, Abdusatarov Dilshat, Makhambayev Kosay, Kozhakhmetov Kairat who received injuries during January events and were hospitalized in serious condition, have been taken out from hospitals to PDFs. They told about torture: They were beaten in medical facilities, then in a prison truck, but the most terrible thing was happening in the pre-trial detention center, there they were subjected to cruel torture. Investigations into the cases that have been opened on complaints of torture are not progressing^[53]^.

May 13, Zarechniy village, facility LA-155/14, Begimbetov Abay, Article 405, P art 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, sentenced by the court to 5 years of imprisonment, has been released from the colony on the basis of a court decision to replace the remainder of his sentence with a measure of restriction not related to imprisonment[54].

13 May, “We represent Batyrbaev Azamat, a torture victim and we are extremely unhappy with the investigation of torture in Taldykorgan. We demand to hold an immediate hearing in the Majilis and the Senate of the Parliament regarding the investigation of torture and to hear my report addressed to the members of the Parliament. To disband the investigative group in Taldykorgan because it is not able to expose the criminals who have tortured citizens and to establish a new investigative group with the participation of the Prosecutor’s Office”, said lawyer Azanov Bauyrzhan[55].

On May 13, the Working Group under the UN Human Rights Council has found that the Government of Kazakhstan violated international human rights law by detaining human rights activist Alnur Ilyashev in April 2020. According to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), he was imprisoned “for exercising his right to freedom of expression”[56].

May 13, Nur-Sultan, workers of the oilfield services company “KEZBI” who arrived in the capital to negotiate with the authorities their demands for better working conditions and higher wages stayed overnight in front of the building of the Ministry of Labor the day before. Some protesters reported deterioration in their well-being[57].

On May 14, there were rallies calling for lowering the age of retirement for women in four cities of Kazakhstan – Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Aktobe and Kostanay. The actions, which were authorized by the authorities, were organized by representatives of the Movement of Women of Kazakhstan for the Reduction of the Retirement Age to 58[58].

May 14, Almaty, “Law enforcement agencies of the city of Almaty, after the January events, initiated 87 criminal cases on torture. At the moment, investigative actions are being carried out”, said the spokesman of the City Prosecutor’s Office, Tlendinov Baurzhan [59].

On May 14, in Almaty, Azattyk correspondent inquired of the spokesman for the City Prosecutor’s Office, Tlendinov, as to how many suspects in cases of torture have been identified and how many of them have been placed in pretrial detention. A spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office replied that he could not provide this information, referring to Article 201 of the Code of Criminal Procedure “Inadmissibility of divulgence of data of the pre-trial investigation”[60].

14 May, Almaty, “We demand to release all innocent people who were arrested after the January events (#qantar2022) and to disclose the names of all provocateurs from the special services who disappeared immediately after the arrest of Masimov. We demand an international investigation!”- said the human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[61].

May 14, Almaty, “President Tokayev has declared a referendum, in which he wants to consolidate and demonstrate to everyone “the people’s trust in him”. On 5 June there will be 5 months of #kantar2022. I have a question: Will the lists of the victims be published? There are hundreds of people arrested. Will they all be released? Or should we launch a campaign to boycott the referendum? Why do we need such profanation? Who are we kidding?” – said human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[62].

On May 14, in Talgar city, pensioner Aizhigitov Baktygali, holder of “Kurmet” order, came to the building of akimat with a bottle of gasoline to hold a solitary picket. He wanted to burn himself. The Akimat workers knocked the bottle of gasoline out of his hands. Activist Khasanova Klara said that Aizhigitov was unfairly persecuted by the Akim of the district and Maslikhat deputie [63].

On May 14, in Zhanaozen, the police detained several KEZBI oil workers who were planning to fly that day for Nur-Sultan in order to support their colleagues protesting there. The detainees were released when the aircraft departed without them[64].

May 15, Nur-Sultan, “Today the cops have come to my house to familiarize me with the case. The wife of Kenzhebaev Aidyn filed a complaint against me. Her husband tortured Batyrbekov Azamat with an iron. She filed a complaint against me because I called her husband “Filth and кarabet (a dishonorable person in Kazakh)” in my networks. I confirmed that it was written by me and I do not retract my words and I’m not going to delete the post”, said Zhylanbaev Marat[65].

May 16, Uralsk, Sapiev Murat, Article 405, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, the court dismissed the complaint of the activist who was sentenced to three years of restriction of liberty. The Appeal Board upheld the sentence, believing that there was no reason to revise the decision of the lower court[66].

On May 16, in Almaty, at a press conference, Abilov Bulat has declared his intention to establish the party Bizdin Tandau (“Our Choice’), stating that the goal is to build “an independent and democratic Kazakhstan with a dynamic economy and a high level of prosperity for all citizens”[67].

On May 16, Nur-Sultan, an ambulance team took Baipakov Aibek, one of the protesters. The paramedics found that he had a high temperature and blood pressure. Many workers of KEZBI LLP who were taking part in the protest said that their health had deteriorated after spending a few nights on the cold ground in front of the House of Ministries and the KazMunayGas office[68].

16 May, a list of activists who have been persecuted by the authorities in Kazakhstan, on the eve of the nationwide rally on May 1. The list was provided by the human rights movement “Activists Not Extremists”[69].

May 16, Ust-Kamenogorsk, “It pains me that my son Kabylkanov Kuanysh, who was innocent, lies in the grave, while the guilty man who shot him, lives peacefully with his family. When I accompanied my son to his last journey, I vowed that I would find the man who fired at him and I would get him punished,” said the mother of Sagatbayev Arailym, who was killed in January[70].

May 16, Shymkent, political prisoner Amirov Yerulan, Article 274, 405 of the Criminal Code of the RK, was sentenced by the Al-Farabi district court to 7 years’ imprisonment, having found him guilty of “inciting social hatred”, “propaganda of terrorism” and “participation in activities of prohibited organization” [71].

On May 16, Elena Shvetsova, Executive Director of the “Yerkindik Kanaty” Foundation, reported that an unknown person and a district police officer had attended the Foundation’s event. The Foundation was holding a discussion panel on political reforms, which was open to all comers[72].

May 17, Zhanaozen, the strike of about a hundred workers of Tenge Oil & Gas LLP has been going on for almost three weeks. They demand to fire the director of the company, his deputy and the CFO, and to increase their salaries[73].

On May 17, Nur-Sultan, the oil workers of KEZBI LLP, who held a protest action in the capital, departed for Zhanaozen on an overnight flight after the supposed negotiations with a representative of KazMunayGas. According to the oil workers, the meetings that took place brought them “…a 90 percent victory”[74].

As of May 17, 2022, there were 164 reports of torture and other kinds of unlawful treatment submitted to the Coalition of NGOs of Kazakhstan against Torture. In Taldykorgan – 44, Almaty – 41, East Kazakhstan region – 18, Taraz – 13, Kyzylorda – 11, Atyrau – 9, Shymkent – 7, West Kazakhstan region – 6, Pavlodar – 6, Aktobe – 4, Kostanay – 3, Karaganda – 1, North Kazakhstan region – 1[75].

May 17, May 17, Coalition against Torture: There were 11 complaints about torture or ill-treatment against women and 153 complaints about torture or ill-treatment against men, 13 of which were minors. With respect to 88 complaints, the Coalition provided the victims with attorneys. Six victims were provided access to psychological counseling and 24 were given access to medical care, including the purchase of medication[76].

18 May, Almaty, “Frankly speaking, I don’t understand why the authorities still don’t want to publish the lists of people killed in Kantar-2022? Do they want to hide their names and, with our acquiescence, commit them in oblivion? They want us to be ignorant of history and, you know, like mankurts, forget what happened soon? How long can we be deceived?” – stated human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[77].

May 18, Almaty, the Anti-Corruption Agency initiated a criminal case against an officer of an interdepartmental investigative and operational group under the General Prosecutor’s Office. The arrested Kudaibergen Kairat complained about him. In his letter addressed to Prosecutor General Asylov, he points out that the officer put psychological and moral pressure on him[78].

May 18, Shymkent, Kulbayev Yergali, Article 269, Part 2, Article 293, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, the Enbekshy district court sentenced the activist to four years suspended sentence on charges of “participation in and incitement to mass disorder” during the January anti-government protests and the activist was released in the courtroom[79].

On May 18, in Almaty, the City Prosecutor’s Office summoned Azattyk journalist Kalmurat Ayan. He was questioned as a witness in the criminal case which was brought after the January events under the article “Mass riots”. What the journalist was doing from January 2 to January 6, 2022, what he was doing in the square. The questioning continued for about two hours[80].

May 18, Almaty city, according to the decision of the Expert Council 7 activists were recognized as political prisoners: Ashtaev Zhanmurat, Dosmambetova Lyazzat, Irzhanuly Timur, Ishmukhamedov Farid, Namazbaev Danat, Sultanbek Kairat, Sultanbekov Kenzhebek[81].

May 18, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz [82].

May 19, Almaty, Tursumbayev Baltash, leader of the unregistered association “El Men Zher” has declared his intention to establish a political party, there were 60 thousand members of the initiative group “El Men Zher” all over the country.[83].

May 19, Zhanaozen, more than a hundred workers of the “TrubRemCenter” enterprise, a contractor of the “Ozenmunaigas” mining company, are protesting again. They demand to increase their wages and stop the persecution of strike participants [84].

May 19, Petropavlovsk, facility EC-164/3, Kaiyrbek Askar, Article 405, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, convicted for a term of 2 years and 2 months, was released. The court upheld his motion and commuted his outstanding sentence to restriction of liberty[85].

May 19, Almaty, “I am a human rights activist with 23 years of experience, we are not engaged in politics and moreover in mass disturbances and their financing. Our activities are open and public. We work in the area of observing human rights to peaceful assembly and supporting political prisoners. We only collect information about human rights violations and, if necessary, provide legal assistance” – was the response of human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan to investigators of the Shymkent interdepartmental investigation and operational group[86].

May 19, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz[87].

May 19, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes that the authorities of Kazakhstan should consider delaying a referendum in order to hold public discussions and consultations on amendments to the country’s Constitution. The organization suggests that the amendments on the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Constitutional Court be reconsidered[88].

May 20, Zhanaozen, Dostanov Bauyrzhan, an activist, reported that he has been summoned for questioning by the police after posting a video with criticism of the authorities. “Unidentified people in civilian clothes took part in the interrogation. They hit the table with their fists, shouted at me and tried to intimidate me”, said Dostanov [89].

On May 20, in Shymkent, the Department of Special Prosecutors summoned Zholshiev Murat, a lawyer of political prisoners, for questioning as a witness. According to the notification, at the time of the “riots” on the night of January 5, he was in the square in front of the Akimat. The lawyer thinks that there were political motives in calling him as a witness almost five months after the events[90].

May 20, Almaty, Tikhonov Dmitry journalist of KIBHR told about his summoning to the police in the case of an attack on reporters and activists in 2019[91].

On May 20, in the January events, when mass anti-government protests turned into riots and bloodshed, according to official data, 238 people were killed. Nineteen of them were members of the security forces. They were police officers, members of the National Guard, and cadets. Their families were provided with housing and material assistance. Who killed 19 police officers and soldiers during the January events?[92]

May 20, Shymkent, facility LA-167/3, Sabitov Aibek, Article 405, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK. 1 year 1 month term. He was released because he had served out his sentence[93].

20 May, Almaty, 20-year-old Dana Yerezhepova was killed during the January events According to her parents, she was shot dead. The gunshots were fired from the Auezov police station building. Yerezhepova’s family demands that the perpetrators of her death be brought to justice[94].

On May 20, in Almaty city a group of several dozens of people, who reported about tortures, came to the building of prosecutor’s office of the city. The protesters demanded a fair investigation into the January events and urged the authorities to bring to justice the perpetrators of the torture of detainees and the firing of shots at civilians[95].

May 20, Almaty, “The examining court extended the detention of Kudaibergen Kairat, deputy of the city Maslikhat who was arrested in connection with the January events, for two months, until June 21”, the press service of the Almaty city court reported[96].

On May 20, in Nur-Sultan, Akimat refused activists Shadeyeva Aigerim and Mukhtarov Ravkat to hold a rally in support of Ukraine. The Akimat explained its refusal by the fact that “all the sites were occupied, as another citizen had submitted a notification earlier”. This was the activists’ eighth attempt to hold a peaceful rally[97].

May 20, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz[98].

On 21 May, the human rights organization Amnesty International made a new appeal to President Tokayev regarding the case of Mamay Zhanbolat, who is currently in detention. He should be immediately released from custody and the charges brought against him that were politically motivated should be dismissed[99].

On May 21, in Almaty, Shinibekov Darmen, a former employee of the administrative practice department, came to a solitary picket at the corner of Shevchenko-Pushkin Street with the poster “Who in Kazakhstan can count on a fair trial?” The picket’s purpose was to appeal to the Presidential Administration^[100]^.

May 22, Almaty, Talasbaev Kanat Kaukanovich was shot and killed on January 5 in the square. His wife was summoned to the City Police Department to read the court decision. Talasbayev was posthumously recognized as a terrorist, a looter, allegedly setting buildings on fire and participating in riots, his wife refused to sign the papers[101].

On May 23, in Shymkent city, civic activists came to the City Prosecutor’s Office with the demand to have a meeting with the Prosecutor of the city. They demanded an explanation why prisoners Sultanbek Kairat, Dosmambetova Lyazzat and Ashtaev Zhanmurat were illegally detained for 5 months on the political case. Prosecution officials asked them to make a written statement[102].

May 23, Almaty, public leader Bokaev Sanzhar, Chairman of the Association of Sheep Breeders of Kazakhstan “Shopan-ata” Sadyrbaev Almasbek and former deputy Dvoretsky Vladimir held a press conference and gave the government a month for the elimination of the utilization fee on agricultural machinery. They warned that in case of failure to fulfill it, they will file a lawsuit[103].

May 23, Zarechnyi village, facility LA-155/14, Rakhimzhanov Noyan, Article 40, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 5 years of imprisonment. The Kapshagai city court upheld the convict’s motion to replace the unserved part of his sentence with restriction of liberty[104].

May 23, Zhanaozen, for ten days workers of “TrubRemTsentr”, a contracting organization of “Ozenmunaigas” mining company, have been on strike. They demand to provide better safety and working conditions, to increase wages, to prevent persecution of the strikers and to reinstate those who were unlawfully dismissed[105].

May 23, Almaty, Suleimenov Olzhas, Kazakh poet and public figure declared at a press conference his intention to re-establish the “People’s Congress of Kazakhstan” party. In the nearest future the initiative group will submit documents for registration to the Ministry of Justice. He also said that he supported political reforms announced by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tokayev[106].

May 23, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz[107].

May 23, Almaty, from May 16 to May 20 11 sentences were passed in criminal courts of Almaty in connection with the January events. Among them, 17 persons were sentenced to restriction of liberty in 10 cases. Nine cases out of 11 under Article “Theft” were examined in relation to 15 persons. In total as of May 23, 186 cases were examined in relation to 287 persons. Twenty-four defendants out of them received prison sentences, according to the press service of the city court[108].

On May 23, Kostanay, the city court No. 2 charged Nurmagambetov Dias under Article 274, Part 4, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK for spreading knowingly false information during public events. According to the prosecution, Nurmagambetov had written posts in the telegram channel “Protestny Kostanay” during the rallies on January 4-5 and had distributed a message that the police were taking the side of the protesters[109].

On May 24, Almaty, the city court sentenced each of the four defendants in the January events case to six years in prison in one criminal case under Article 191(3) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The court cited “committing a crime during the state of emergency” as an aggravating circumstance, according to the press service of the city court[110].

May 24, Stepnogorsk, Katchiev Nikolay, Nazarenko Alexandra, Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Currently, the court is at the stage of examination of witnesses. The state prosecutor questions each of them about whether they know who Mukhtar Ablyazov is, whether they have watched the videos with his statements on the situation in Bestobe[111].

May 24, Shymkent, Dosmambetova Lyazzat, Sultanbek Kairat, Article 269, 272, 405 of the Criminal Code of the RK. “There is moral pressure on my defendants, which adversely impacts their health, especially their mental health. Lyazzat has terrible headaches, Kairat, whose wife is 9 months pregnant, is depressed, because his wife is also under pressure” – reported lawyer Kakharov Yerkyn. [112].

May 24, Almaty, Imanbay Inga, accused the Prosecutor’s Office of Almaty of making attempts to force her to give evidence against her husband. “I, referring to Article 78 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, refused to be a witness and testify against my husband, because he is my close relative. They drew up a report that I would not be a witness and would not testify against my husband. They ignore it”, – reported Imanbay[113].

On May 24, in Almaty, probation officers of Zhetysuu district visited Aset Abishev at his home. The police officers did not introduce themselves and did not show any documents. They said that they have come ostensibly to check and talk about repeated criminal and administrative offenses. One of the probation officers was illegally taking video by his cell phone[114].

May 24, Almaty, Abishev Aset is being illegally persecuted by the authorities. District police officer Abdykalov Dauren and probation inspector Askhat Bolat asked his neighbor how he could characterize Abishev Aset[115].

May 24, Almaty, probation inspector Askhat Bolat Bolatovich said that Syzdykov Aidar must be at home at all times, although under the terms of probation he must be at home on his own time. The probation service even threatens Syzdykov with physical reprisals. The authorities exert pressure on the activist in connection with his human rights and political activities[116].

May 25, Nur-Sultan, people once again gathered near the receiving office of the Supreme Court in order to hold a rally. An initiative group of people, victims of judicial outrage, was trying to get an appointment with the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Asanov Zhakip^[117]^.

May 25, Almaty city, Kim Timur, Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Prosecutor’s Office has dropped the criminal case, due to a lack of evidence of a crime, against a suspect in “participation in mass unrest” during the January events[118].

May 25, Almaty, Kim Timur stated that he has undergone torture by police officers and officers of the pre-trial detention facility. “He has filed a statement to the anti-corruption service, but after several months the case has not progressed, as the investigation refers to the lack of “video evidence of torture” – says the wife of Timur Abildaeva Lyailim [119].

May 25, Almaty, the Auezov district prosecutor’s office has reopened the case under Article 191, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the RK, concerning the attack by a group of people on reporters and human rights defenders outside the office of the Kazakhstan Bureau of Human Rights in 2019, reported Dmitry Tikhonov, recognized as a victim in the case[120].

On May 26, Almaty, the trial on the political case under Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the RK (“Theft of weapons”) against Imanbekov Alibek who has been kept in the pre-trial detention facility started in the Almaly district court. The trial was supposed to be held online, but after the demands of the activists, the trial was held offline[121].

May 26, Almaty, Imanbekov Alibek, Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the RK reported that he has been held in the Almaly police department from January 11 to January 15, and that the investigator has forced him under torture to give false testimony against himself and to plead guilty to something that he did not commit. He has been subjected to torture and psychological pressure. The investigation was carried out without a lawyer, i.e. there was a violation of his right to defense[122].

May 26, Almaty, Korchagin Ruslan, Article 272, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, a victim of criminal shootings and torture, reported that the political criminal case against him has been dropped[123].

May 27, Almaty, The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, the Committee on the Protection of Dissident Poet Aron Atabek at the press-conference made a demand for full posthumous rehabilitation of the dissident, for revision of Shanyrak case and for prosecution of those guilty of torturing the poet[124].

May 27, Mangistau region, Munaily district, hundreds of workers of the Fiber glass manufacturing plant went on strike. They do not agree with the items of the collective agreement in the section on social assistance. Workers say there is evidence of wrongful dismissal and protectionism at the plant[125].

On May 27, dozens of “political” prisoners continue to be held in prisons and camps, under investigation and trial. Those who have been released are pressured by police “preventive and prophylactic visits”, such as in the case of Abishev Aset and others. The more “democratic initiatives” Tokayev proposes, the more furiously his police attack those who understand what is going on and protest against it[126].

May 28, Almaty, “I received confirmation that Kazakhstani state bodies have accepted the conclusions of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on my case. As human rights activists explained to me, according to the regulations, Kazakhstan has six months until November 5, 2022 to respond”, said Ilyashev Alnur[127].

May 29, Pavlodar, Kaluova Nurgul, district police officer came to the home of a former political prisoner to give her a warning regarding the fact that she and her neighbor had painted the curbs in the yard of their house in the colors of the Ukrainian flag[128].

On May 30, in Nur-Sultan, a group of activists held a press conference at the office of the unregistered party “Nashe Pravo” (Our Right) and called for a boycott of the referendum on constitutional amendments. They urged the authorities “not to hold fake referendums and stop wasting the people’s money”[129].

May 30, Almaty, Nurmukhanov Samat, a welder, was one of many defendants in cases of riots that took hold of Kazakhstan in early January. Nurmukhanov spent three months in pre-trial detention where he was severely tortured. Once out of the detention center, the Kazakhstani man is essentially disabled: he lost his hearing and can only sleep sitting up[130].

May 30, Almaty, “They electrocuted us, choked us in water. Then they strung us up by our feet and beat us on our ribs, stomach, lungs, and kidneys – all my organs got down. Why am I writing? So that at least you, my dear, would know about it. Of course, it is very hard for me and my heart bleeds. Really, I had never gotten in such a terrible position or experienced such humiliation before. They damaged both of my lungs, now I am coughing up blood all the time, and my kidneys are swollen. I have been urinating blood for a week”, – Nurmukhanov Samat wrote in letters to his wife[131].

May 30, Almaty, “They were humiliating me really hard in the Department of Internal Affairs. They forced me to write a suicide letter saying that I, being unable to bear it, killed myself. They made me write my own death sentence. That I would either hang myself or stab myself to death. All this I wrote under threats. Then they said they would put a grenade in my hand and then plant it in my house with my own fingerprints. They also said that if I didn’t sign their papers, they would abuse my children and pregnant wife”, – Nurmukhanov Samat wrote in letters to his wife [132].

May 30, Almaty, after the beatings Nurmukhanov Samat had swollen feet and broken fingers on both hands. In the detention facility, he did not get any medical care. When an inspection has been conducting in the detention facility, the beaten detainee has been hidden. He later told his wife that he had been to almost every so called “special basement” and solitary confinement cell for dangerous criminals, and that every other detainee was a suspect in cases of mass rioting[133].

May 30, Almaty, “We monitor all courts for #qantar2022. We send our observers to all courts. We monitor the right to a fair and public trial by a competent and impartial court. We request everyone to inform us!”, – reported human rights activist Toregozhina Bakhytzhan[134].

May 30 the human rights organization Amnesty International urged to close the political criminal case against Sadyrbayeva Raigul under Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the RK and release her from the house arrest as well as prosecute the persons implicated in the torture against her[135].

May 30, Turkestan region, Karabastau village, Segizbaev Yergali hardly walks and is not able to work. During the January events, he received a bullet wound to his abdomen – it damaged his colon. His parents struggle to find money to continue his son’s treatment[136].

May 28-30, monitoring of human rights violations in Kazakhstan presented by the human rights movement Kaharman.kz[137].

May 31, Pavlodar region, the city of Aksu, Kurmanov Yembergen, Article 488, Part 12 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK – 15 days of arrest for video message dated May 27, 2022, where he urged citizens to gather near the city administration on June 5 at 12:00 p.m.[138].

On May 31, according to human rights organizations, there are currently more than 200 people in Kazakhstan who are being prosecuted for their political views. And although most of them remain at large, they are subjected to serious restrictions[139].

May 31, Almaty, “Persecution and punishment can be imposed for criticism of the government. For willingness to participate in opposition movements and for demanding observance of constitutional rights to establish parties. In our country, dissidence means extremism”, said civic leader Kuanyshalin Zhasaral[140].

May 31, Almaty, «By sentencing people to deprivation of the right to engage in public activities and including them on the so-called “List of organizations and individuals associated with the financing of terrorism and extremism”, they impose a large number of restrictions related to the ability to participate in political and public activities”, – said Yevgeniy Zhovtis reporting on the current political situation[141].

On May 31, in Almaty, supporters of the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan gathered in the Karagaily square near the monument to victims of political repressions and famine. They addressed the President Tokayev with the demand to release the leader of the party Mamay Zhanbolat[142].

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[1]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3256405011345426/

[2]https://rus.azattyq.org/a/31830581.html

[3]https://rus.azattyq.org/a/31830160.html

[4]https://rus.azattyq.org/a/31829421.html

[5]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3256338024685458/

[6]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3256749797977614/

[7]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3256374278015166/

[8]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3257423661243561/

[9]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3257424897910104/

[10]https://www.facebook.com/groups/ActivistsNotExtremists/posts/3256412834677977/

[11]https://rus.azattyq.org/a/31832568.html