Report on political prisoners and persecuted activists in Kazakhstan

On 2 September 2021 a coalition of human rights defenders, #ActivistsNotExtremists, completed one of the biggest reports on political prisoners and politically persecuted activists in Kazakhstan.

 

A threat from Gizat KAZHIBAYEV, an investigator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to one activist, Ulasbek AKHMETOV, summarises the situation with human rights in Kazakhstan: «I WISH WE COULD KILL ALL OF YOU».

In 48 pages we have documented facts that directly refute the Nazarbayev regime’s propaganda about a «listening state» or even hint at the implementation of two European Parliament resolutions on human rights in Kazakhstan.

The report includes an update on, among other things:

22 political prisoners and 78 politically motivated criminal cases, 70 cases of politically motivated sentences with restrictions of liberty for participation in peaceful protests or for human rights activities;

targeted obstruction of investigations into 6 political killings over the period 2020-2021;

failure to investigate torture and attacks;

mass persecution of participants of peaceful protests and the practice of taking hostages the loved ones of those who financially support civil society, promoting lists of personal sanctions;

persecution of refugees from Chinese concentration camps,

persecution of opposition outside Kazakhstan and online propaganda, account hacking, social media blocking.

We have provided a range of recommendations for MEPs and the EU diplomats ahead of TOKAYEV’S visit to Brussels and the Civil Society Forum in Almaty in October 2021.

In order for these recommendations to be heeded, civic activists should systematically voice them during protests and challenges. It is also important to continuously inform the new EU Delegation Ambassador Kęstutis Jankauskas, the European External Action Service office in Brussels and and Members of the European Parliament about human rights abuses.