MONITORING OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN FROM March 1 to March 31, 2023

March 1, Almaty, unidentified persons beat up Khamidullin Berik, a representative of the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (DPC). Khamidullin, who is a proxy of candidate for Deputy A. Dostiyarov, was coming back home after another day of campaigning[1].

March 2, Almaty, Meldekhan Aidos, the father of Aikorkem, who was killed by a gunshot last January, urges the international organizations to pay attention to the investigation into his daughter’s murder. At a press conference, Meldekhan A. informed journalists that he had no confidence in the investigation[2].

March 2, Karaganda city, the court found Nagimetullaev T., a candidate for the Majilis of the Parliament as a self-nominee, guilty of “untimely campaigning”. The online court considered the screenshots presented by the prosecutor as evidence “conducting election campaigning in the period of its prohibition” and imposed a fine in the amount of 51 750 tenge[3].

March 2, Astana, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that alleged accomplices of a person suspected of organizing attacks on journalists and editors of local media have been identified. The detained suspect “admitted his guilt” and “cooperates] with the investigation”[4].

March 2, Astana, “To consent to the Prosecutor General to impose administrative liability on Suleimenov Olzhas, candidate for the Majilis”, the Central Election Commission says in its statement. The Prosecutor General’s Office expressed its intention to punish Suleimenov under Article 102 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Conducting election campaigning during the period of its prohibition”[5].

March 2, Astana, the administrative court held preliminary hearings on the suit of the initiative group on the establishment of the party “Alash Orda” against the Ministry of Justice. In February, representatives of the initiative group for the 10th time filed an application to the Ministry of Justice for the registration of the party; it was returned again. The court refused to summon President Tokayev and Prosecutor General Asylov upon the plaintiff’s claim[6].

March 2, Almaty, PF “Adil Soz” presented a study of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from February 23 to March 2, 2023[7].

On March 3, Almaty, the court declared illegal the decision of the district election commission No. 3 on the single-mandate constituency No. 17 dated February 25 regarding Zh. Dzhandosova. Previously, her registration as a candidate for deputy to the Maslikhat was cancelled, and Dzhandosova was withdrawn from the election based on “unreliable data in the tax declaration”[8].

March 3, Petropavlovsk, Court No. 2 announced a ruling in the civil case on the complaint of Nistoliy M. about the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation against human rights activists Danchev A.K., Izmailov S.A., Agapov D.S., Nikolayenko N.S. : to refuse to invalidate the information about Nistoliy M. and to publish a refutation[9].

March 3, Aktobe region, asylum seeker status was extended to Karakalpak activist Yuldasheva T., who was detained in Kazakhstan in November for one year pending a decision on her extradition to Uzbekistan, until June 3, 2023. The Aktobe Regional Employment and Social Programs Coordination Department announced this decision[10].

March 4, Klebanov (Manevich) Arkady Sergeevich was named as the organizer and initiator of the attacks on Kazakh journalists. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reports that the man was detained and placed under arrest by court order. He is charged with committing crimes under Article 115 “Threat”, Article 147 “Violation of integrity of private life”, Article 158 “Interfering with legal professional activity of journalist”, Article 202 “Intentional destruction or damaging of another’s property” and Article 293 “Hooliganism” of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan[11].

March 6, Astana, the court started consideration of the claim of Baltabaykyzy N., member of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan against Shoraev A. The reason for the suit was the post of Shoraev A. in Facebook, where he posted a photo of candidates to the Majilis from the People’s Party (PPK) and wrote: “Do not vote for these traitors”[12].

March 6, Almaty, Aliyaskarov Zh; at a press conference at KIBHR, the brother of Aliyaskarov Bauyrzhan, who is accused under Article 272, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, states that his relative was forced to admit guilt, and as a result he attempted to commit suicide. He had been held in the Taldykorgan pre-trial detention facility for over a year. He is the last detainee in the detention facility in the case of the January events[13].

March 6, Astana, Akimat did not give permission to Dzhahin Amangeldy to hold a rally on March 5,10,11,12 and 16, 2023. Subject: “Vote for Dzhahin Amangeldy!”. The reason for the refusal was that the previously agreed events would be held at that time[14].

March 6, Almaty city, akimat did not authorize a peaceful rally on March 10,11,12 and 16, 2023, as well as a peaceful march on March 5, 2023 to be held by Imangalieva B. Subject: “Vote for Imangalieva B.” Reason for refusal: the march was refused because the notice must be submitted 10 working days in advance and because the route of the march is not included in the list of “specialized” marches, as well as in connection with the previously planned events[15].

March 6, Astana, the akimat did not give permission to hold a peaceful rally on March 10, 11, 12 and 16, 2023 to Zhylanbayev M. Subject: “Vote for Zhylanbayev Marat!”. Reason for refusal: there will be previously agreed activities[16].

March 6, Astana, the court ruled to eliminate the LLP “Department for Combating Corruption”, which is owned by arrested journalist Abiyev T., because the name of the company is consonant with the name of the state agency. Abiyev T. is currently being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Service[17].

On March 6, dozens of human rights experts, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, civic activists and, possibly, future deputies participated in a 5-hour human rights online marathon, consisting of 9 sessions, to jointly review various aspects of the observance of human rights and freedoms with suggestions and recommendations for improving this situation[18].

March 6, Almaty, the District Election Commission (DEC) No. 5 withdrew from the election a candidate for the Majilis, A. Alzhanova. She reports that on March 6 she got a call from the DEC . On March 6, Almaty, District Election Commission (DEC) No. 5 disqualified Alzhanova A., a candidate for the Majilis, from the election. She reported that on March 6 she received a call from DEC. She was informed that there were discrepancies in the declaration because she has not indicated the copyright to the training methodology[19].

March 7, Almaty, Toregozhina Bakhytzhan was honored with the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award along with 10 other winners from around the world. The award was given to her “for her longstanding human rights advocacy work on respect for political rights and freedoms and the tremendous work she has done in documenting” the participants of the bloody January events of 2022, and those who lost their lives during the mass protests in Kazakhstan[20].

March 7, Uralsk, Utebayev Bekbolat held a solitary picket in the central square of the city with the demand for social reforms in Kazakhstan. The Akimat agreed to hold this action after almost 20 refusals. B. Utebayev held a poster “Ya hochu zhit’, I want to live! “, with two sheets of paper attached below that read “Bring Amanat party to justice!”[21].

March 7, Astana, the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Akhmetzhanov M. made comments on the detention of Tleuzhan A. on February 28: He put all the responsibility on the prosecutor’s office: “First, everything that concerns the electoral legislation is under the jurisdiction of the supervisory body. Second, in accordance with our legislation, any appeal is registered in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, if there is an application”[22].

March 7, “More than 30 criminal cases have been initiated for attacks on journalists, 22 suspects have been detained. “Seven of them are now in custody. With regard to the rest, given their personalities and age, a measure of restraint was chosen that is not associated with isolation from society”, said Minister of Internal Affairs Akhmetzhanov M.[23]

March 7, Astana, the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan dismissed the appeal of Zakirova S., a self-nominated candidate for the Majilis of Parliament, against the decision of the election commission to withdraw her registration. As announced by the court, the decision shall be final and without appeal[24].

March 8, Almaty, Gandhi Park, hundreds of people rallied for women’s rights. Its participants declare that “femicide” continues in the country and urge the state to stop “covering up sexualized violence against any women” and to increase the number of women in parliament and in high administrative posts[25].

March 8, Aktobe, there was an authorized rally for lowering the retirement age for women. The rally, which was held in Aviator Park on the outskirts of the city, attracted about 30 people. The participants demanded the retirement age for women at the age of 58[26].

March 8, Almaty, a rally to lower the retirement age for women also took place in Almaty today. Some women came to the rally wearing Kazakh national dress and stated that lowering the retirement age would also be a contribution to the wellbeing of future grandmothers[27].

March 9, Uralsk, at a press conference in the editorial office of Uralskaya Nedelya, the candidates who were withdrawn from registration stated that they have been unlawfully deprived of the right to participate in the elections. Ruslan Bralov, chief physician of Polyclinic No. 1, was removed from the list of candidates for deputies of the West Kazakhstan Regional Maslikhat, and Nurlan Karin was removed from the list of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis on March 2 by a decision of the Territorial Election Commission[28].

March 9, Almaty, PF “Adil Soz” presented a study of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from March 2to March 9, 2023[29].

March 9, Almaty, a group of civic activists held a press conference. They declare that they were “illegally excluded from the elections” to the Majilis and Maslikhat scheduled for March 19. Local territorial election commissions had earlier withdrawn them from the elections, referring to the “non-compliance of the declaration”, which had been identified two weeks before the beginning of the elections[30].

March 9, Astana, Kazakhstan will toughen penalties for “calling for mass disorder”. The Senate is considering a draft law “On introducing amendments and additions to the Criminal, Criminal Procedure and Criminal Execution Codes on human rights in the area of criminal justice, execution of punishment and prevention of torture and ill-treatment”,” Interior Minister M. Akhmetzhanov reportes[31].

March 9, Astana, Zhylanbayev M. was withdrawn from the elections to the Majilis. “In the study of Zhylanbayev M.’s statements it was found that it contains premature election campaigning, which induces voters to vote for his candidacy and provide his with financial support” – states prosecutor Sherkhan Shorabek. The candidacy of Dzhakhin A. was also withdrawn[32].

March 9, Almaty, Dzhandosova Zh. candidate for deputy of Almaty Maslikhat in constituency № 17 attempted to restore her registration in the elections, but the court took the side of the election commission. “They cancelled the decision of the court of first instance in my case. The board had been deliberating for a long time, apparently they didn’t know how to formalize this decision” – Dzhandosova Zh. reports[33].

March 10, Astana, February 24 decision to fine human rights activist from Karaganda Zh. Aitmaganbetov on the charge of “premature campaigning” was upheld[34].

March 10, Astana, the administrative court continued to consider the case on the suit of the representative of the People’s Party Baltabaykyzy N. against Shoraev A., who is currently a candidate for deputy of the Majilis. About a hundred supporters of Shoraev came to the hearing and were not allowed into the courtroom. A large number of cars were observed near the court building, including police vans, as well as the soldiers of the special detachment[35].

March 10, Almaty, political prisoner Namazbaev Danat, Article 179, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 5 years’ imprisonment. He appealed to supporters for financial assistance for his family, who is in a difficult financial situation[36].

March 10, Almaty, an election video of Imanbay I., a candidate for the Majilis of the Parliament, was taken off the air of “Autoradio Kazakhstan” because the former President Nazarbayev N. was mentioned in it[37].

March 10, the U.S. non-governmental organization Freedom House (FH) once again rated Kazakhstan as a not free state with an authoritarian political system where the opposition is not permitted to participate in elections and where protesters are persecuted[38].

March 11, Almaty, by the decision of the District Election Commission No.3 of Almaty the candidate Tleuzhan A. was again excluded from the elections because of discrepancies in the declarations. The document sent by the tax authorities states that “there is a discrepancy in the declaration”, but they do not specify where exactly the discrepancy takes place[39].

On March 13, the city of Petropavlovsk, the city akimat refused to hold a peaceful protest on March 19, 2023 to Izmailov S. Topic: “Recognize the elections as illegitimate. Cancel false elections”. Reason for refusal: previously agreed activities[40].

March 13. Uralsk, provocations against independent self-nominated candidates began. Some provocative videos were posted. “My relatives and friends are receiving videos from unknown phone numbers, which discredit me. The videos are mounted”, says Srazhanov Beknur[41].

March 13, Uralsk, as soon as Akhmedyarov L. registered his candidacy for the elections, provocations began with the distribution of slanderous videos. He believes that it was the authorities who used dirty technologies to fight against him[42].

March 13, the Kazakhstani Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained why Kazakhstani diplomats were not present at the award ceremony for B. Toregozhina at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA. At that time, Kazakhstani Ambassador Ashikbayev E. was in Houston with a Kazakhstani delegation led by the Kazakhstani Minister of Energy to participate in the negotiation[43].

March 13, Uralsk, Utepov A., Articles 194, 190, 367 of the Criminal Code of the RK, held in the detention center for 2.5 months, claims that his life and safety are threatened in the detention center. He appealed to the court with a request to release him under house arrest[44].

March 14, Taraz, an officer of the military registration and enlistment office came to the family of Rysbekov Rais, who died during the January events of 2022, to serve a summons for his enlistment into the army. When the family member told the officer that “Rais died”, the officer replied that “if you don’t bring a certificate about his death, you will have to pay a fine of one million tenge”, informs Bekezhanova I., the mother of the late Rysbekov[45].

March 14, Astana, Akimat of the city did not allow Amrenov K. to hold a peaceful protest on March 19, 2023. Subject: “To recognize the elections as illegitimate. Cancel false elections”. The reason for refusal: the previously agreed event will be held[46].

March 14, Karaganda, Nagimetullaev Temirtas; the regional court dismissed the appeal of the self-nominated candidate, to the Majilis. The court decision to impose a fine of 51750 tenge for “illegal campaigning” was upheld. The court found proof of this in two screenshots from the social network[47].

March 14, Uralsk, Eskendirova M. and Urazbayev A., Article 405, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK, 1.5 year suspended sentence. The regional court held a hearing on the appeal of their lawyer Kulzhanov Zh, who requested the court to acquit his clients. The court dismissed the appeal[48].

March 14, Almaty, the victims of torture in Taldykorgan in January held a press conference at the Kazakhstan Bureau for Human Rights, where they demanded to punish those responsible. According to Batyrbayev A., one suspect in his case was taken into custody. He mentioned that more than a year had passed since the criminal case was opened, but that “nothing has been found out” by this day[49].

March 14, Astana, Ashtayev Zhanmurat, Article 405, Article 272, Part 2/3 of the Criminal Code of the RK, three years and one month of imprisonment. The Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, having considered the appeal of the activist who was convicted of the January events, decided to acquit him and to stop criminal prosecution of the activist for lack of corpus delicti in his actions and to release him from custody. The court recognized the acquitted activist’s right to compensation for damage caused by unlawful prosecution[50].

March 14, Astana, the court found Shoraev A. guilty of spreading information discrediting honor, dignity and reputation of the candidate of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan. Shoraev has to pay a fine in the amount of 69 thousand tenge[51].

March 14, Almaty, candidate for the Majilis B. Turabayev provided photo and video materials, where employees of local state agencies are distributing campaign materials of candidate for the Majilis and journalist Yermurat Bapi in What’sApp chats and Instagram[52].

March 14, Astana, Zhylanbayev M. filed a claim to the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan against the Central Election Commission of the Republic. The marathon runner and record-breaker demands his reinstatement as a candidate in the forthcoming elections to the Majilis[53].

March 15, Almaty, attacks on the Orda.kz website continued despite the high-profile detentions. In the morning of March 15, the correspondents faced difficulties in publishing materials. At the same time, outwardly the site continued to function. After a while the work of the portal was restored, and later there was a call from representatives of the State Technical Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan (STS KNB RK). They said that they had recorded DDOS attacks[54].

March 15, Almaty, the complainants publicly expressed their doubts that the suspect, Arkady Klebanov (Manevich), organized this crime for personal reasons. In order to be sure of the veracity of his testimony and dispel doubts of the victims and the public, Adil Soz recommends conducting the polygraph examination of the testimony of Klebanov A (Manevich)[55].

March 15, Mendygaziev Kalyk, the older brother of Bardyk Mendygaziev, a persecuted political opponent of Akorda, passed away due to illness[56].

March 16, Shymkent, Ashtayev Zh., who was acquitted by the Supreme Court, went free. Earlier he was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month under Article 272, Part 2/3 of the Criminal Code of the RK for “participation in mass riots” during the January events[57].

March 16, Astana, President Tokayev K. signed amendments “on human rights in the sphere of criminal proceedings, execution of punishment, as well as prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”. Under the adopted amendments, the penalties for calling for mass riots are increased from 3 to 5 years, including up to 7 years for using a telecommunications network[58].

March 17, Almaty, the police aborted an investigation into the case of the attack on the journalist D. Moldabekov under Article 45, Part 7, paragraph 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The inquiry officer of Almalinskiy district decided to terminate the period of pre-trial investigation[59].

March 17, Pavlodar, Kaluova N. , Article 669 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK, by the court decision she received 5 days of arrest, for “Failure to execute a court judgment, court decision or any other court order”, for posting an article in the social network Facebook[60].

March 17, Uralsk, Akhmedyarov Lukpan, “I received a call from a police officer. He said that I had to come to testify on the statement of a person named Dzhaparov Ruslan, who had written on Instagram that he had allegedly given me money, which I had used for illegal campaigning”. An attempt by the authorities to withdraw an independent candidate from the election[61].

March 17, Uralsk, Okhasov O., Article 667 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK, 7 days of arrest for disobedience to police officers. He was detained a month ago – at that time police officers broke a car window and forcibly pulled him out of the car[62].

March 17, Astana, there was a meeting between President Tokayev K. and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The High Commissioner has raised the issues of the investigation of the January events, compensation to victims of torture, and the rights of LGBT and women, as well as freedom of expression and peaceful assembly[63].

March 17, in Astana, several dozen activists urged the West to impose secondary sanctions on Astana “for helping Putin” in the war against Ukraine. They made their demands at a rally in front of the European Union representative office and embassies of Western countries. Требования: “Release ‘political prisoners’, conduct an international investigation into the January 2022 deaths, torture detainees, cancel “illegitimate elections” to the Majilis and Maslikhats, register the “Alga, Kazakhstan!” party[64].

March 17, “The courts received 166 lawsuits from candidates for deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament and Maslikhats during the election campaign. Out of 166 lawsuits 135 related to deregistration of candidates due to discrepancies in their declarations. Among them 49 suits were satisfied, 84 suits were rejected, 15 suits were withdrawn and 16 were left without consideration and two more suits are still pending”, – reports the Central Election Commission[65].

March 17, Aktobe, there was a funeral of the deceased Kuttybaev E. He was conditionally sentenced for 9 months on the case of the January events under Article 272, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the RK. The deceased has never complained about his health, he died on March 15 “from a heart attack” at his home[66].

March 18, Kazakh students were being offered money to register as silent observers for the Majilis elections. The Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan (MISK) reported this on its Instagram page[67].

March 18, Almaty, Kalykova Aigul, chairperson of the territorial election commission of Almaty, explained why the boxes with ballots were unpacked. “The actions of the precinct election commission are absolutely within the legal framework. They are obliged to count the ballot papers they received for voting. We have quite a large number of candidates who withdrew their candidacy or were withdrawn in connection with violations”[68].

March 19, Almaty region, Karasai district, the process of massive ballot stuffing by election commission workers was captured on video. The footage shows two people coming and going to the table, taking ballot papers from there and then throwing them into ballot boxes. One of them is not visible, and the second person is a woman, obviously a polling station worker, she is not wearing any outerwear and has a badge on her neck that is typical for polling station workers[69].

March 19, Astana, on the Central embankment near the monument to Kenesary Khan, Tamabaeva Galiya unfurled the poster “Stop Lying!”. She has demanded to conduct an international investigation of the bloody January events of 2022. She was detained by the Special Forces officers[70].

March 19, Astana, protesters were trying to go to the Central embankment to express their disagreement with the elections, involving multiple violations. Tamabaeva G, Dzhakhin A., Suyinbaev A., Musabaev M. and Sabitov A. were detained.[71]

March 19, Astana, about a dozen people were detained on the Central embankment. “Only in one case a woman managed to raise a banner and shout a slogan. Besides that, as it seemed to me, they detained random passers-by”, – says the human rights defender Alkhastov Artur[72].

March 19, reports of surveillance over activists on the day of elections were also received from Pavlodar, Aksai (WKO), Kokshetau, Bobrovka village in Glubokoe district (EKO). March 19, reports of surveillance over activists on the day of elections were also received from Pavlodar, Aksai (WKO), Kokshetau, Bobrovka village in Glubokoe district (EKO). In the city of Ekibastuz, a district police officer came home to a community leader, Zhamaliev Zh. A police captain informed that “a submission was received from a private bailiff to bring Zhamaliev Zh. to administrative responsibility” for non-payment of a fine[73].

March 19, independent observers report numerous violations: members of election commissions restrict observers’ movement at polling stations, they forbid them to film, and at some polling stations observers are provided with seats from which they can’t see the voting booths[74].

March 19, Astana, the Yerkindik Kanaty Foundation reports on the groundless, in its opinion, withdrawal of two of its observers from the polling stations in Astana[75].

On March 19, Ust-Kamenogorsk, observer Roman Chestnykh wrote about the so-called “merry-go-round” that he saw: “We record that the same person repeatedly voted at different polling stations. The elections in Ust-Kamenogorsk should be recognized invalid; in this case the organizers of “merry-go-round” surpassed the worst expectations of multiple voting by the same persons at different polling stations”[76].

March 19, Astana, “The following violations have been registered since the opening of polling stations: restriction of observers’ movement; impossibility to clearly observe the voter registration process; prohibition of photo and video shooting; campaigning by the chairman of the precinct election commission; no chair for the observer in violation of the instructions on equipping the voting room”, reports the Yerkindik Kanaty Foundation.[77].

March 19, Astana, the Yerkindik Kanaty Foundation reports that an observer from polling station No. 2 in the House of Students was removed at 8 am for “photo and video shooting of the process of vote counting and rude treatment of members of the Commission”. “There were also attempts of provocations by observers from other organizations”, the Foundation states[78].

March 19, Astana, the Yerkindik Kanaty Foundation reports that more than 50 of its observers went to the polling stations in Astana at 6 a.m. to monitor the voting process in the early elections of deputies to the Majilis of the Parliament and Maslikhats[79].

March 19, North-Kazakhstan oblast, Blagoveshenka village; an observer recorded ballot stuffing at this polling station on the day of elections to Mazhilis and Maslikhat. The member of commissions who let this happen was excluded from the commissions. Independent observers said that they were prohibited to move around the polling station and take video recording[80].

March 19, Zhambyl region, Zhualy district. An observer recorded ballot stuffing at this polling station on the day of elections to Mazhilis and Maslikhat. The member of commissions who let this happen was excluded from the commissions. Independent observers said that they were prohibited to move around the polling station and take video recording [81].

March 19, Shymkent city, before the start of the early elections to the Majilis and Maslikhats, copies of papers called “protocols” of voting results from a number of polling stations were distributed in the Internet. Some of these copies were distributed by candidates for deputies to the lower chamber of the Parliament and the city Maslikhat[82].

March 19, Almaty, Independent observers from “Mukalmas” state about massive violations during the March 19 elections, particularly during the vote count. Some of the observers were forced to wait until the morning to receive the reports of the election results. According to the observers, members of the commission deliberately delayed the process; they often drank tea and invited observers for tea. One of the observers was forced to spend 24 hours at the polling station[83].

March 19, Almaty, an observer from candidate Mukhtarov Rafkhat was removed from polling station No. 183 with the phrase “for hindering the process of voting and violation of voting rules at the polling station”[84].

March 19, Almaty, “They kicked us out from the polling station No. 577. They claimed that three observers would be enough, and they would control us. Though we did not make any noise the whole day, and did not break the order. Why, if three other observers are allowed to count the votes, we are not allowed”? – an observer from one of the candidates’ headquarters of constituency No.5 says.[85].

March 19, Almaty, at the polling station No. 503 a member of election commission made a scandal. At the same polling station observers video-recorded a bundle of empty ballot papers that were removed from the ballot box[86].

March 19, Almaty, an observer in school No. 208 was removed “thanks to” a “collective” complaint of other observers. “I asked one question and right after that other observer attacked me, they wrote a collective complaint against me and now I’m being kicked out”, says the observer [87].

March 19, Almaty, employees of the polling station No. 561 located in the school No. 157 prohibit observers to approach them and film the process of vote counting. When a proxy indicates that one of the polling station workers is wrong, she comes up and hits him with her hand[88].

March 19, Almaty city, a provocateur, engaged as an “observer” of the elections in school No. 200, who attacked a proxy of a candidate to deputies of the Majilis of constituency No. 5, turned out to be a teacher of physical training of this educational establishment. He knocked the phone out of his hands, hit him in the face and grabbed him by the neck. In the video he offers a proxy to “go out” with him “into the street”, while the polling station security guards do nothing[89].

March 19, Almaty, at polling station No. 564 the ballot box was opened only after 00:00, i.e. after more than four hours of the end of voting, rather than immediately, according to the election headquarters of one of the candidates for constituency No. 5, which provided an appropriate video[90].

March 19, Almaty, school No. 192, polling station No. 513. “After counting of votes the discrepancies in voter turnout were found out. There were more people who voted than it was indicated in their protocol” – informs an independent observer[91].

March 19, Almaty city, constituency No. 5, polling station No. 503; provocation by an “observer” was the reason for removing a proxy from the polling station before the vote count[92].

March 19. Karaganda region, Aktas village, at polling station 279, the Chairman of the election commission Razagulova and observer Burkovskaya made stuffing of an unidentified number of ballots into the ballot box. These persons were suspended from the electoral process for violations”, – according to the official response of the Prosecutor’s Office of Saran city. [93].

March 20, Astana, “18 members of election commissions in the Republic of Kazakhstan were sentenced to a fine of 86250 tenge under Article 110 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK for manipulation of ballot papers. 17 citizens were prosecuted for voting for other citizens under Article 108 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK (Violation of the requirement for equal suffrage). Four of them were members of precinct election commissions”, reports A. Sargazin, representative of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan[94].

March 20, Astana, a representative of the General Prosecutor’s Office Sargazin А. reports to the CEC that “in particular, prosecutors identified 40 violations, which constitute administrative offences under three articles of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK. These are issuance of ballot papers in order to give citizens the opportunity to vote for other people”[95].

On 19 March 2023, the day of voting in the early elections to the Majilis and Maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil soz” carried out special monitoring of the observance of journalists’ rights, there was also a “hotline”, which provides legal advice [96].

On March 19, the day of voting in the early elections to Majilis and Maslikhats of Kazakhstan, 9 cases of violations or attempts to restrict the rights of journalists were recorded in total. Attempts by chairmen or members of precinct election commissions to prevent journalists from taking photos or videos were one of the most widespread violations[97].

March 20, Almaty, a group of self-nominated candidates, Imanbay I., Mukhtarov R. and other people addressed a press conference with the demand to recognize the election results as illegal. In their view, “the authorities achieved the desired results through massive violations of the law and pressurization”. Some candidates are disputing the election results in court[98].

March 20, Karaganda, a number of candidates to deputies of maslikhats, their proxies and observers from Temirtau, Karaganda, Shakhtinsk and Aktas village of Karaganda region stated at a press conference that they had found falsifications and violations at polling stations during the voting and counting of votes during the early elections on March 19[99].

March 20, The Hague, two young men who came to the Embassy of Kazakhstan criticized the Kazakh authorities for conducting “fake elections” and egged the embassy building. “Tokayev, release the political prisoners! Stop persecuting activists!” – they shouted, while holding pictures of Yelshibayev E., Narymbayev E., Kudaibergenov K., Isayev N., who are still remaining in prison in Kazakhstan, having been sentenced to long terms of imprisonment after the January events[100].

March 20, Almaty, “We can in no way call the past elections fair and honest, as independent observers and candidates were pressurized. During the counting of votes my proxies, observers were removed one by one – the police were called and they were intimidated. The girls in the headquarters were crying”, says Imanbay Inga[101].

March 20, Astana, Abdirov Nurlan, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission, ran away and did not respond to journalists’ questions. Abdirov entered the elevator under the pretext that “guests from foreign countries should be escorted out”[102].

On March 20, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) stated that the actual figures of voters at the Majilis elections in Kazakhstan were significantly lower than those declared; they also gave a poor assessment of the vote counting process and, in general, harshly criticized the past elections[103].

March 20, the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) assessed counting negatively in 58 of the 128 polling stations observed due to significant procedural errors and omissions and as well as disregard of reconciliation procedures [104].

March 20, the U.S. State Department released the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. It states that last year’s January events had a negative effect on the human rights situation in the country. It also emphasizes that last year in Kazakhstan, torture has become more frequent, corruption has increased, and freedom of speech has been significantly restricted[105].

March 20, the U.S. State Department report also states that many officials who tortured detainees in pre-trial detention facilities after the January events have not been prosecuted, and torture cases have not been completely solved. It also notes that prison or police officers involved in torture have received light punishment[106].

March 20, Almaty, Baitelova Zhanna, an RSF journalist, was sentenced by a court to a fine of 102 euros for allegedly conducting a poll ahead of the parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan. The journalist, who was doing her job, was found guilty of violating electoral law. The court not only fined her, but also denied her the right to be a journalist[107].

March 21, Almaty, Imangalieva B. saw in social networks that several unsuccessful candidates for the Majilis were going to meet and discuss their further actions to protest against the results of illegitimate elections. Being afraid of rallies, the authorities detained Imangalieva, but only after her detention they provided her with a summons that was filled out not in accordance with the requirements of the law[108].

March 21, Almaty, Imangalieva B. came out of the police station and reported that she was actually seized and pushed into a civilian vehicle, and then she was taken to the police. Imangalieva B. was about to go to the square, where festive events were held in honor of the Nauryz holiday[109].

March 21, Uralsk, a day after the end of the counting of votes, Ahmedyarov L. held a press conference where he informed about the violations that had been found by independent observers in a number of polling stations. He said that in most polling stations where independent observers and proxies of Akhmedyarov L. have been present on the day of elections, he has been leading with a confident margin over his opponents[110].

March 21, Uralsk, Akhmediyarov L. submitted a notification to hold a rally on April 2 in Mametova M. Square. He said that he did not recognize the official results that were announced by the CEC. “There have been a great number of violations of the law ‘On Elections’ and open falsification of voting results’ – reported Akhmediyarov L.[111]

March 21, Shymkent, there were grave violations at polling station No. 239. “The election commission counted votes behind closed doors. They did not issue reports, did not announce the results. The ballot papers were put in bags and taken out under police escort. There were 17 precincts in the district. We have reports from 14 polling stations on our hands. On the basis of these reports, candidate Orazbayev A. is leading by double margin. We filed an application to the prosecutor’s office against the commission of polling station No 239, we are going to appeal to the court”, – says the head of Orazbayev’s headquarters[112].

March 21, Shymkent, a number of candidates for deputies of Mazhilis and Maslikhats of the city and Turkestan region and their proxies stated their disagreement with the announced results of voting. During the press conference that gathered about 30 people, they demanded to conduct new elections and called President Tokayev K. to interfere in the situation[113].

March 21, Almaty, following the announcement of names of winners in the elections of deputies to Mazhilis and Maslikhats, ex-candidates of the fifth and fourth constituencies stated that the results of voting had been falsified. The headquarters of Barysov A., Yerzhanov O., Taizhan M. and Kozhalieva T. are going to file a lawsuit against the CEC[114].

March 21, Almaty, activists claim the illegal detention of Turdaliyev Kanat, who was taken to the Bostandyk District Police Department and demands his release. They also stated about persecution of independent candidates for deputies. The activists stated that the elections were falsified and expressed their disagreement with the results of the vote counting[115].

March 21, Almaty, Mukhametkarim Duman, Article 488 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK, self-nominated deputy to the Majilis, was arrested for 25 days for attempting to conduct a solitary picket in the central square against falsification of the elections[116].

March 21, Almaty, facility No. 72, Kudaibergen K., Article 272, Part 1/2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Detention of the former deputy of the maslikhat was extended for a month, the press service of the city court reports[117].

On March 23, Semei, Serik Baigaliyev, deputy of the maslikhat of Abay region, said that they tried to blackmail him during the pre-election race. “It all started on February 17. I received threats from the Russian number to disseminate information that could defame me “[118].

March 23, France, Paris, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that at least a dozen journalists in Kazakhstan have had their work obstructed in the run-up to and during the March 19 early parliamentary elections. RSF called on President Tokayev K. to make every effort to “put an end to these obstacles to freedom of information”[119].

March 23, Almaty, PF “Adil Soz” presented a study of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from March 16 to March 23, 2023[120].

March 24, Almaty region, Esik city, Mukhammedkarim Duman, Article 488 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, arrest of 25 days. The court of appeal left the decision unchanged. There were many violations during the trial, as the journalist was still a candidate and had immunity[121].

March 24, Uralsk, Utepov Aslan, Article 190, Part 3, paragraph 4, Article 24, paragraph 3, Article 28, paragraph 4, Article 367, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code of the RК, is currently in custody. The city court dismissed the application to change the preventive measure from detention to house arrest[122].

March 24, Almaty, during the press conference the representatives, proxies of candidates, observers and activists Sarsenbai R., Ilyashev A., Imanbai I. have expressed their disagreement with the results of the parliamentary elections and made a number of demands to the authorities[123].

March 24, Almaty, the Public Association “Independent observers”, which monitored the elections to the Majilis and Maslikhat, has conducted a final press conference at which the participants spoke about the violations: obstruction of observers, pre-signed ballot papers, the delay in giving the reports to observers. One of the reports was provided the next morning after the elections at 8:00 a.m.[124].

March 24, Almaty, as it was stated at the press conference, students and people who introduced themselves as proxies of candidates hindered the organization “Independent observers”. They were registered as observers from this organization, but did not come to the polling stations or even if they came, they did not observe the process[125].

March 24, Astana, Fund Yerkindik Kanaty reported that members of precinct commissions have removed 11 of Fund observers. The Fund also complained that it received only 28 reports from 53 polling stations. The League of Young Voters of (MISK) also reported the removal of its observers and violations during the elections[126].

March 24, Almaty, “There will be no continuation to democracy without a nationwide protest rally”, said politician Taizhan M. at a press conference[127].

March 24, Astana, Abzhan Makhambet, Article 274, Part 3, Article 194, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The court dismissed the appeal of the journalist. “Since there are no grounds for cancellation or changing the court ruling, the verdict was left unchanged and entered into legal force”, the press service of the capital’s court says in a statement[128].

March 25, Aktobe, Farhad Gaziz, Article 488, Part 7 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK. The court sentenced Farhad Gaziz to a fine of 172500 tenge for holding a solitary picket near the office of “Amanat” party after the early elections, during which he expressed his disagreement with the election results[129].

March 25, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kaliyoldanov K., candidate for the Majilis of the region, and Osipova A., candidate for the regional Maslikhat, cannot receive the final voting reports after the March 19 elections. They say that they repeatedly demanded from the election commission to provide them with copies of reports, but have not been able to get them[130].

March 23, Kalioldanov K., a candidate for the Majilis from the East Kazakhstan region, has launched a petition on the ALASH online platform with a demand to recognize the elections to the lower house of parliament and the maslikhats as illegitimate and failed. Within three days, the online petition addressed to the President collected more than 15,000 signatures[131].

March 25, Saran, Karaganda Region, an independent observer who recorded mass ballot stuffing in the Aktas village at polling station No 279 applied to the city prosecutor’s office with a request to bring members of the election commission to responsibility. The city prosecutor’s office confirmed the fact of ballot stuffing. According to the prosecutor’s office, orders were made to bring two people to administrative responsibility[132].

March 25, the Judicial Chamber for Criminal Cases of Karakalpakstan will consider in absentia the case of “Alga Karakalpakstan” party leader A. Sagidullayev, and the leader of the Karakalpak community of Mangistau region N. Urazbayev, a citizen of Kazakhstan” said Abidov A, spokesman for the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan[133].

March 26, Almaty, Yermolcheva Vlada, an activist of “Oyan Kazakhstan” picketed “against unfair elections”. The picket did not last more than five minutes. A man in civilian clothes came up to her and warned about the “illegality” of the picket, then she was detained and taken to the Almalinsky police department “to determine the circumstances”. She was released an hour later. Now she faces an administrative trial under Article 488 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan[134].

March 26, Almaty region, Esik city, Muhammedkarim D., Article 488 of the Administrative Offences Code of the RK, arrest for 25 days. Mukhammedkarim D., having disagreed with the court decision, went on hunger strike. The candidate for the Majilis deputies demands that the mass media representatives be allowed to visit him[135].

March 27, Almaty, police detained people who were seeking reunification with their relatives in Xinjiang . In addition to Akikat Kaliola, Nurzat Yermekbay, the police also detained Baybolat Kunbolatuly’s mother, Zauatkhan Tursyn. All three of them were taken to the Medeu District Police Department. They were kept there for a few hours and later released without charge[136].

March 27, Astana, an initiative group to establish an opposition party “Alga, Kazakhstan!” at a press conference stating that it does not recognize the results of the March 19 early parliamentary elections, and considers them illegitimate[137].

March 27, Almaty, a well-known eco-activist and chairman of the Public Association “Zashitim Almaty” (Protect Almaty) Tashimova S. addressed to the President Tokayev K. regarding numerous violations during the elections. She believes that voters’ votes were stolen openly, demonstratively and with impunity[138].

March 27, Astana, Chairman of Central Election Commission Abdirov N. confirmed the facts of violations during the election of deputies to Mazhilis and Maslikhats. There were 42 persons who committed violations; 18 members of election commissions were brought to responsibility. They were charged with issuing ballot papers to citizens in order to provide an opportunity to vote for other persons[139].

March 27, Semey, at a hearing in Criminal Court No. 2 of the city, a witness for the prosecution said that he testified against Alpiyev Ch. and Aliev R., accused of terrorist propaganda, under pressure from officers of the National Security Committee (NSC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Alpiyev Ch. and Aliev R. were detained after the bloody January events of 2022[140].

March 27, Almaty, M. Kozachkov, Articles 142, 274 of the Criminal Code of the RK, 3.5 years suspended sentence. The military court of the Almaty garrison sentenced a journalist on charges of violating privacy and spreading deliberately false information[141].

March 28, “Many people detained in January were subjected to torture. Detainees were often held in irregular places of detention, such as sports halls, or in overcrowded cells, forced to stand in uncomfortable positions, made to sleep on the floor, provided with little or no food and water and denied medical care” , Amnesty International says in a report[142].

March 28, “In Kazakhstan legislation governing peaceful assemblies remained unduly restrictive. It allowed the authorities to arbitrarily ban unwanted protests on vague or technical pretexts, which they routinely did. According to Kazakhstani human rights groups, the authorities denied permits for at least 154 peaceful protests in 2022. Law enforcement agencies frequently conducted so-called “preventative arrests” of prospective protesters, which were often arbitrary”, according to a report by Amnesty International[143].

March 28, “In Kazakhstan, participation in organizations arbitrarily recognized as ‘extremist’ is considered a crime that can lead to up to six years in prison,” according to a report by Amnesty International[144].

March 28 “All the accusations against Mamay Zh. related to his exercise of his human rights”, reads the Amnesty International report[145].

March 28, Almaty, Matayev A., who was running as a candidate for the Majilis, said that the results of the elections in the Nauryzbai district should be cancelled. He noted that members of the commission refused to count the votes transparently: they were kicking out observers, closing the polling stations and the like[146].

On March 28, Almaty, representatives of the foundation “Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan”, which monitored the fourth district, also reported about possible vote rigging. “ According to our records, in the fourth district Bokayev S. was leading, while the official data shows that another candidate was leading there”, – said the head of the organization Mednikova I.[147].

On March 28, Mangistau region, Zhetybai village, police officers came home to civic activist Koishybaev Kanat to serve him a summons “in connection with an administrative offense”[148].

March 28, Mangistau region, Zhetybai village, residents recorded a video appeal to President Tokayev K. and regional Akim Nogayev N. to intervene in the situation. They demanded that the persecution against them be stopped. Police officers came to the doors of at least one house in the village and tried to serve a resident with a summons about the alleged administrative offence committed by her husband[149].

March 28, Aktau, in response to notification, the akimat of the city did not give permission to hold a peaceful protest on April 1, 2023. Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections”. The reason for the politically motivated denial: the indicated place is not included in the list of specialized places for holding events[150].

March 28, Uralsk, the akimat did not approve the rally, which was intended to be held by Akhmedyarov L. The theme of the action was “support of the law on elections and the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan taking into account their violations”. The reason for the refusal: complete data of the organizer were not provided in the notification[151].

March 28, Almaty, NGO Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan (MISК) and Sange Research Center, which conducted monitoring of voting during the March 19 elections in Almaty, stated that the CEC overestimated the number of people coming to vote in this city. According to the MISC, 17 percent of voters in Almaty went to the polls. According to the Central Election Commission, the share of those who voted is 23.9 percent[152].

March 28, Astana, 20 appeals of citizens related to the past elections to the maslikhats and the Majilis of the Parliament were submitted to the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan, the press service of the Constitutional Court reports[153].

March 28, Almaty, the court found that Mamay Zh. paid damages of 2 million 492 tenge on charges of spreading deliberately false information. In December 2021, people gathered outside the Agency for Regulation and Development of Financial Market in Almaty. They demanded to talk to the Head of the financial regulator Abylkasymova M. and to write off their loans referring to the announcement of Mamay Zh. about writing off debts[154].

March 29, Almaty, the city akimat did not give permission to hold a peaceful protest on April 2, 2023 in response to the notification of Abishev A. Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections”. Reason for refusal: Previously planned cultural and mass event[155].

March 29, Almaty, nearly two dozen activists from among the citizens nominated to the Majilis of the Parliament and Maslikhat in single-mandate constituencies filed a collective complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office of the city. The complainants demand to make an inquiry into the election irregularities and bring the guilty parties to justice. Some signatories of the complaint claim that there are obstacles on the part of commissions, while others say that they still cannot get reimbursement for campaigning expenses[156].

March 29, Shymkent, in response to the notification of activist Sauyrbaev B., the akimat did not give permission to hold a peaceful protest on 2 April 2023.Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections”. Reason for refusal: Provision of incorrect information [157].

March 29, Petropavlovsk, the akimat did not give permission to hold a peaceful protest on April 2, 2023 in response to the notification of Izmailov S. Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections”. Reason for refusal: Previously scheduled cultural and mass event[158].

March 29, Almaty, independent candidates for deputies of the Majilis, planned to hold a round table “Khalyktyk parliament” in Almaty on April 1, but a couple of days before the event they received a refusal to host the event from the hotel “Tien-Shan”[159].

March 30, Almaty, “We are waiting for the court verdict; we will protect the interests of Mamay Zh. in international instances. Follow the development of the case in Kazakhstan. We called to release him! We think that he is being persecuted illegally! We are monitoring the process. If there is no crime, the person must be released”, says Matthew Schaaf, one of Freedom Now’s representatives[160].

March 30, PF “Adil Soz” presented a study of the situation in Kazakhstan with regard to the right to freedom of expression, receiving and disseminating information from March 23 to March 30, 2023[161].

March 30, Almaty, facility No. 72, Nurpeisov K., Dalibayev N., Shilibayev E., Karmenov Zh. and Tleuzhan A., house arrest, Article 272 1/2, Article 269 of the Criminal Code of the RK. Hearings began on the case of the seizure of the city airport during the events of January 2022[162].

March 30, Atyrau, Court No. 2 passed judgement in the case of attack on O. Vertinskaya, a journalist of the “Dorozhnyi Kontrol”(Road Control) information portal. A. Mellyatov, a local resident, was found guilty under the article “Hooliganism” and was sentenced to one year of restriction of liberty[163].

March 31, Aktau, a group of activists held an unauthorized action near the city mosque. A few days ago, they wrote a letter to the akim asking for permission to hold the picket, but they were refused. Women are trying to draw the attention of the authorities to the problem of violence against children. However, instead of showing understanding, the authorities began to put pressure on the activists. It is known that the activists were contacted by representatives of the authorities[164].

March 31, Astana, the akimat did not give permission to hold a peaceful protest on April 2, 2023 in response to the notification of Zhylanbayev M. Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections”. Reason for refusal: earlier planned event[165].

March 31, West Kazakhstan region, the akimat of Aksai city did not give permission to Baitemirov E. to hold a peaceful protest on April 7, 2023 in response to his notification. Subject: “Cancellation of the results of illegitimate elections, to register the opposition party ‘Alga Kazakhstan!’, in support of residents of the village of Zhetybai, in Mangistau region. Reason for refusal: previously approved sporting event[166].

March 31, Almaty, Smagulov Bolat, 49 years old, died. He was one of people convicted two years ago in the high-profile case of “organization of activities” of “Koshe Partiyasy” movement. According to Article 405 of the Criminal Code of the RK, the state included him to the so-called list of persons involved in the financing of extremism and terrorism, and therefore he could not open a bank account or legally find a job[167].

March 31, Astana, “From the beginning of the last year, prosecutors investigated 11 criminal cases of torture during “the January events”. Based on the results of the investigation, 35 law enforcement officers who committed torture against 84 citizens were criminally prosecuted. Nine people were sentenced to actual prison terms, while the trials of the others are underway”, the press service of the General Prosecutor’s Office reports[168].

[1] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32295652.html

[2] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32296683.html?fbclid=IwAR3rHUhRWJfGk2_X9s1l7uDQ4JZ2-N0XviniG4xeiszi1uunHJbW4-BQkIw

[3] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32296568.html

[4] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32295652.html

[5] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32297669.html

[6]https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32295748.html?fbclid=IwAR1bLqH_HJa0dwmlZPMLVanl15viCeGNYKjIRn_8Pa7ZJ8BNPp7ISMdFguQ

[7] http://www.adilsoz.kz/news/show/id/3978

[8] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32297964.html

[9] https://t.me/AdalSotKz/1110

[10] https://rus.azattyq.org/a/32299035.html

[11] https://ulysmedia.kz/news/13384-ataki-na-zhurnalistov-politsiia-nazvala-imia-glavnogo-organizatora/

[12] https://orda.kz/armana-shoraeva-obvinyayut-v-rasprostranenii-zavedomo-lozhnoj-informaczii/