We are carrying below a report of the recent intervention at the European parliament by Kazakhstan activists. There is no doubt that pressure from outside Kazakhstan has an effect on the Kazakh elite around President Nazarbayev. The dictator desperately craves acceptance from the West and it lifts the spirits of opposition activists when they get support from European MPs and see that they are not isolated.
Recently there have been demonstrations across Kazakhstan against the sudden devaluation of the Tenge (the Kazakhstan currency). In Almaty, more than 300 took to the streets and some were arrested. It is forces on the ground who will undoubtedly be in the forefront of forcing change and ending dictatorship.
Mick Whale (Secretary, Campaign Kazakhstan)
On 12 February representatives of non-governmental and human rights organisations from Kazakhstan appeared at a sitting of the Committee on Human Rights at the European Parliament. They included Ainur Kurmanov, Deputy Chair of the Kazakh Workers’ Trade Union (Zhanartu) and Co-Chairman of the Socialist Movement, Kazakhstan; Evgeni Zhovtis, leader of the International Kazakh Bureau on Human Rights and Igor Vinyavski, former editor of Vzglyad, a newspaper closed by the authorities, who represented the European Foundation Otkryti Dialog (Open Dialogue).
The event was linked with the planned visit to Kazakhstan of a delegation from the European Parliament from 24 March. The meeting itself, as well as the forthcoming visit, were largely initiated by the left and green fraction. On 1 April the European Parliament Human Rights Committee will assemble again to assess the meetings that the MEPs will have with representatives of the Kazakh opposition, journalists from the closed down media organisations, activists of independent unions from Mangystau province and human rights activists.
Evgeni Zhovtis pointed out the reactionary nature of the new Criminal Code, pointing to the persecution of different religious communities and outlined clearly the attacks being carried out against the opposition in Kazakhstan and the agents of the free press. Igor Vinyavski focused on questions relating to the persecution of journalists, the the closing down of newspapers and on the question of ensuring that Mukhtar Ablyazov and Aleksander Popov are not extradited to Kazakhstan.
He said that if such a step were to be taken by the European authorities, it would set a negative precedent which would affect all refugees from Central Asia. The Governments of the European Union, in his opinion, are unfortunately more interested in matters of economic co-operation and in the extraction of mineral reserves and the redistribution of profits than in human rights. And now we are back to the old ways of “oil in exchange for (a lack of) democracy”.
Ainur Kurmanov raised more questions about the abuse of human rights and the freedom of workers. It is evident that these issues are set to become even worse when the new Criminal Code is introduced shortly, as well as the new trade union law which allows no opportunity for the setting up of independent trade unions nor the right to strike. Nazarbaev, according to Kurmanov, took a decision to permit only one state trade union, that is the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan. And all others must be eliminated.
Since the EU has already decided to blacklist the Ukrainian officials who were responsible for the deaths of three demonstrators in Kiev, Ainur Kurmanov called on MEPs to look at the possibility of imposing sanctions on those high level Kazakh officials who were directly responsible for the massacre of oil workers and civilians in Zhanaozen. Among those are the former Prime Minister, who is currently the leader of the President’s Administration, Karim Masimov; Minister of the Interior, Kalmukhanbet Kasymov; Head of KNB (Kazakh National Security Bureau), Nurtay Abykaev and the Defence Minister, Adilbek Jaksybekov.
He also proposed to the MEPs the setting up of controls to regulate the sale of arms to Nazarbaev’s regime and even to impose an embargo against the sale of military equipment, including military drones, recording equipment and firearms, that could be used against peaceful demonstrators in the civilian population.
MEP Paul Murphy showed delegates shocking photographs of dead workers and citizens of Zhanaozen, whose bodies showed signs of bullet wounds and beatings. These people were not included in the official list of fatalities of 16-17 December 2011, although it was obvious to everyone that they died a violent death. Evidence is being compiled on these people and will be made public at a later date. Paul also asked his colleagues not to limit their stay to Astana and mere talks with government bureaucrats and pro-Government NGOs, but to travel down to Zhanaozen and to the prisons in order to visit political prisoners.
The MEPs started a serious discussion about the possibility of imposing sanctions against individual government officials and the names mentioned were noted. Obviously, the Committee could not make any decisions during the meeting. However, the discussion has been started and the European Parliament intends to seriously look into political repression in Kazakhstan.
The Committee on Human Rights and the delegates assured those present that they would definitely visit one of the political prisoners at their place of detention. Most likely it would be Vladimir Kozlov, although the names of Roza Tuletaeva and Vadim Kuramshin were also put forward. Meetings with the representatives of the opposition and trade unions would also be arranged.
All the speakers and the Committee leaders declared it necessary to monitor all the political activists and public figures who had spoken, as they are subject to persecution upon their return home. Vladimir Kozlov, Vadim Kuramshin and other activists have been imprisoned on returning to Kazakhstan after speaking out at European organisations’ meetings.
Paul Murphy drew attention to the situation regarding the trade union activists Kinzhigali Suyeyov and Mukhtar Umbetov from Aktau, whose family and relatives have suffered harassment as a result of their speeches at the European Parliament on 16 December 2013 at the hearing commemorating the second anniversary of the Zhanaozen oil workers’ massacre.
The Kazakhstan Ambassador was not given the opportunity to speak in the debates, the reason cited as being lack of time for any comments or reports. The large group of Embassy officials and pro-government ‘journalists’, some of whom looked like KNB (Kazakhstan Secret Police) officials, had to leave empty handed. Being ignored in this way has never happened before. It could be seen as an indication that the MEPs, members of the Committee on Human Rights, were angry and were trying to demonstrate their hostility towards the regime.
The attitude of some MEPs is changing. The European Parliament provides at least some kind of platform to promote the ideas of the opposition and human rights activists of Kazakhstan.
