On October 1 there will be a major gathering in Astana – capital of Kazakhstan – of housing campaigners from five different cities in the country – Almaty, Shimkent, Aktobe, Taldikorgan and Astana itself. For years the ‘Leave the People’s Homes Alone’ campaign (ONJ) has been organising, petitioning, sitting at ‘round table’ negotiations and protesting against attempts by the banks and money-lenders to ‘foreclose’ on loans and take away families’ only homes.

Having failed to get satisfactory answers from every layer of authority, they are now taking their demands to the home of the president-dictator himself – Nursultan Nazarbayev. They are prepared to stay at his door until their demands are met. This…or, as they have been threatened, until they are forcibly removed! They have understandably added to their list of demands the basic right to demonstrate peacefully, the right to free speech and freedom of assembly.

These housing campaigners have argued tirelessly, like those in other countries, that if the big banks have received huge bail-outs from the government, so money can be found in the reserves of the state and the banks to ‘forgive’ the meagre amounts of money owed by people who have no alternative place to live.

The campaign has fought fearlessly, sometimes physically and, on almost every occasion, successfully, to prevent people from being thrown out of their family homes. But many people, faced with the bailiffs, have become seriously ill and suicidal. There have been incidents of people setting fire to themselves in desperation.

The United Nations special rapporteur on housing - Raquel Rolnik – who recently condemned the ‘Bedroom Tax’ in Britain – was in Kazakhstan in 2010 and met with the ONJ campaigners. In 2011 she reported on the plight of the mortgagees, warning that the number of victims of the housing loans crisis would rise if the government did not take the necessary steps to solve the situation. Homes, she insisted, should not be treated as tradeable items but as places of peace and safety for those who live in them.

As they make their way to Astana this week-end, the ONJ campaigners need to know that they have international backing - from similar housing campaigns, trade unionists and socialists around the world. Campaign Kazakhstan is asking for a barrage of letters to be sent to local embassies for the attention of the Kazakhstan government and copies to be sent to campaignkazakhstan@gmail.com for passing on to the protesters.

Warnings against violence or arrests being used against the demonstrators CAN have an effect in staying the hand of the regime. If there are widespread arrests, we will be calling for embassy protests. The Campaign Kazakhstan web-site will be updated with news from Astana.

Campaign Kazakhstan is sending the following letter. It can be cut and pasted and forwarded or altered as and how you like:

We fully support the protest in Astana on 1 October and the demands of the housing campaigners.

We believe their demands should be met in full and they should be allowed to return to their homes without hindrance.

If any of the peaceful protesters is attacked, arrested, fined or imprisoned, we will shout louder than ever before against the dictatorial methods of the Nazarbayev regime.

Attempts to appear as a democratic government with friends around the world will be shattered.

No to evictions! Yes to free speech and the right to protest!

Make the banks and the government pay for the crisis they have created!