Speech by Ninagul Дzhumaniyazova during the court hearing on 6 October 2021

We continue our series of publications based on video court hearings in the politically motivated criminal case against 13 civil activists from #Almaty. One of the politically persecuted in this case for alleged «extremism» is civil activist Ninagul DZHUMANIYAZOVA.

 

Activists in this case are politically prosecuted for participation, discussion and calls for peaceful protests, participation in Asar — building a house for the family of murdered human rights activist and blogger Dulat Agadil, collecting and providing humanitarian aid for families of political opponents and political prisoners, criticism of the Kazakhstani authorities, defence and promotion of human rights, demands for the release of political prisoners. The name of Noyan RAKHIMZHANOV is mentioned in the European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Kazakhstan of 11 February 2021.

Speech by Ninagul DZHUMANIYAZOVA during the court hearing on 6 October 2021. We are saving it for history.

__________

I am Ninagul Dzhumaniyazova, mother of 7 children, owner of the Golden Pendant (state award given to mothers of many children) and grandmother of 15 grandchildren.

I do not agree with the charges brought against me under Article 405 Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

For 11 months I have been under a written pledge not to leave the city of Almaty.

I consider the accusation that I am an extremist as political persecution.

Extremists are defined as a criminal group which uses weapons to achieve its goals by using violence against people. And we were not holding guns, we didn’t even hold a mouthpiece at the rallies. Even when we were holding a microphone, it was ripped out of our hands.

According to Article 19 Part 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, everyone has the right to determine his or her party and religious affiliation. I, according to Article 19 Part 1, have chosen the “Koshe Partiyasy”. This is my own personal right. Because I chose the “Koshe Partiyasy” I was accused of being an extremist. I’ve been labeled an extremist. There is no proof of that.

I went out to peaceful protests permitted by Article 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For my political views, I have several times been brought to administrative responsibility, and several times I have paid fines. For my participation in the As in memory of Dulat Agadil all electronic equipment was illegally seized after my house had been broken into. So they call us extremists for participating in a peaceful march? This government, which calls us extremists, is itself meeting with the UN-recognized terrorist organization Taliban. And who is the extremist here?

I have been illegally persecuted for 2 years for my civil activism and political views, my rights have been violated:

— Numerous times I’ve been punished for participation in peaceful protests;

— There are police and NSC officers on duty in front of my house before every peaceful rally;

— On the days of rallies, I have been held at the police station for over six hours;

— During the last detention, physical force was used against me, where I received head injuries;

— Constant intimidation of me and my family, firing my relatives from their jobs;

— There was an attempt to steal my granddaughter in order to put psychological pressure and intimidate me.

I consider all these actions by the authorities to be physical and psychological torture and a violation of my constitutional rights! And after that, after such actions, who is an extremist?! We or the authorities?! Even a blind person can see that. It is clearer that we are not extremists and the whole nation, the whole world knows it.

We are not extremists!

In November 2020 a criminal case was launched against me, there has been an investigation for almost a year but there is no proof! I and other activists are vilified by a mythical decision of the Yesil court, which no one has ever seen and which still cannot be presented in spite of our demands in court! It turns out that this decision of the Yesil court is above the laws of the RK constitution, above the International Covenants on Civil Rights and European Parliament resolutions!!!

This is complete absurdity and lawlessness!!!

On 11 February 2021, a European Parliament resolution was adopted which recognised the political movements of the “Koshe Partiyasy” and the DCK as peaceful opposition movements. The European Parliament called on the authorities to release all political prisoners, including those in the case. The European Parliament has called for an end to political persecution. Our authorities are violating international human rights obligations.

Since 27 July there have been online trials, where it has become clear to everyone that we do not have independent courts and that the case is entirely political.

Investigator KAZHYBAYEV Gizat has fabricated the case without any evidence. There cannot be any, as we have not broken any law. For more than a year political prisoners have been kept in jail without any grounds. Not only are they being kept in prison, they have developed new diseases there. Diana was a healthy girl, Abay was a healthy man. While in that prison they had developed diseases.

During the trial the judge repeatedly refused to examine the evidence presented by the investigation, he did not give an opportunity to study audio and video materials, screens of correspondence, and expert opinions. Thus, he has not given the lawyer an opportunity to defend us. The authorities have violated our right to defense.

In short, all this evidence is taken from the air!!!

I am calling on the international human rights community, the US State Department, the EU, the governments of Canada and Great Britain to personally sanction our authorities for human rights violations and to demand an end to political persecution.

I am a mother, I am a grandmother. I want my children and grandchildren to live not in a state where human rights are trampled, but in a free, democratic Kazakhstan where human rights are protected. Therefore, I demand that this case be stopped, that we be acquitted and that all political prisoners be released!