Protest and cultural event in London
For a downloadable pdf please see here - CK 2013 dec events A4
Two years since Zhanaozen massacre – fight for justice and freedom in Kazakhstan
Protest and commemoration
Monday, 16 December
12 noon
Protest to highlight the ongoing imprisonment of innocent trade union, political and human rights activists in the aftermath of the state massacre in Zhanaozen on December 16 2011
Kazakhstan embassy, 125 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5EA
Tuesday, 17 December
7pm -8.30 (Doors open at 6.30)
Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3GA
Kazakhstan: Zhanaozen remembered
Panel discussion and cultural evening
Join ‘Campaign Kazakhstan’ and ‘Article 19’ for an evening of discussion, music, poetry and films dedicated to the struggle against dictatorship in Kazakhstan
No entrance charge. Donations welcome.
Drinks and refreshments available before and after the event
Almost two years ago, President Nazarbayev showed the kind of Kazakhstan he wanted to run. Up to a hundred oil workers, on strike for several months, were massacred by the police and state forces on December 16 2011. Leading activists in the union were tried and convicted, and currently face long prison sentences – for the ‘crime’ of standing up for their rights, for taking peaceful strike action against brutal employers and for getting shot at.
The workers in Zhanaozen have done nothing wrong. But the Kazakhstan regime has blood on its hands. Many human rights activists, trade union members, political campaigners opposed to Nazarbayev languish in jail.
Vadim Kuramshin is a human rights activist and lawyer, imprisoned effectively without trial for highlighting the many injustices faced by ordinary people in Kazakhstan. In a letter describing his arrival in jail, Vadim wrote: “Those joining me in the van were all, without exception, people who had already served sentences. Everyone had, at some time, cut their wrists in an attempt to escape torture. In other words, they were all hardened… Each of us was thinking about what would happen on our arrival. Everyone was bracing themselves for a “warm reception” – either having to run the gauntlet, to have “a roasting” or being tortured “on your own”.
But this vicious treatment from the regime has not deterred Vadim or others from campaigning. Vadim was awarded the 18th Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for his tireless work, but had to accept the prize from behind bars.
Aron Atabek is a political activist and poet, imprisoned during protests over housing rights in Shanyrak six years ago. He was sentenced to eighteen years, and recently had to celebrate his sixtieth birthday in jail. He is kept in forced solitary confinement, under 24-hour video surveillance, and forced even to write his poems in secrecy.
Hundreds of protesters campaigning for decent housing conditions recently defied mass arrests to make their point heard by Nazarbayev and co. Mass protests of workers in Zhezkazgan managed to put a halt to plans to lay off a large amount of the workforce. There is big anger and resistance to the attacks of the government and the employers, despite the harsh conditions.
Campaign Kazakhstan fights for human rights for all. We fight for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Aron Atabek, Vadim Kuramshin, Zhanaozen strike leaders and more. We fight for the right to peaceful protest without fear of intimidation or arrest. We fight for the right to join a trade union of your choosing and the right to strike action and representation.
Campaign Kazakhstan has been active for well over two years, bringing support and solidarity to those involved in struggle in Kazakhstan. The campaign has been instrumental in winning the release from jail of activists, as well as providing practical support to those affected by the regimes vicious methods. We have organised numerous protests in Britain and internationally to highlight the conditions faced in Kazakhstan. The campaign is supported by many organisations, including the RMT transport union, the Haldane Society of socialist lawyers, MEP Paul Murphy, MP Jeremy Corbyn and many more.
If you agree with what we are doing, join us on the 16 and 17 December for protests and solidarity, and get involved in Campaign Kazakhstan!
See Campaign Kazakhstan web-site campaignkazakhstan.org
Contact us on campaignkazakhstan@gmail.com
