NO HARASSMENT OF ESENBEK UKTESHBAYEV!
To the Kazakhstan Government and Authorities
The Kazakhstan trade union and opposition leader, Esenbek Ukteshbayev, has been out of his home country for just over one year. This is because of constant threats to his life and liberty from the Kazakhstan regime, both before he left Kazakhstan and since.
His absence has severely hampered the work of building his union federation, Zhanartu, and the Socialist Movement Kazakhstan.
Esenbek has taken the brave decision to return to Kazakhstan in order to attend a national conference of his organisation and to pursue his work. This will mean being fully involved in the legitimate struggle of workers and poor people in Kazakhstan to exercise their basic democratic rights.
Esenbek has made his own declaration, available here http://campaignkazakhstan.org/index.php/2012/11/02/yessenbek-ukteshbayev-returns-to-kazakhstan/ .
We believe that freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom to organise trade unions, freedom to protest and freedom to strike should be guaranteed for all. These basic rights should be inviolable by any arm of the state - the police, special forces, intelligence services (KNB), the judiciary and the army.
We call on the Nazarbayev government and all of its institutions and personnel to allow Esenbek to return to Kazakhstan unhindered and go about his work unmolested.
We warn that if anything happens to Esenbek which endangers his life or liberty or threatens the safety of his family, we will hold the Kazakhstan authorities responsible.
We will organise an international outcry against the actions of the Kazakhstan regime.
We ask you to assure us that you will not in any way interfere with Esenbek Ukteshbayev’s democratic rights and freedoms or harass his family.
In all sincerity,
Andrey Hunko and Inge Hoeger, MPs for DIE LINKE, Germany; Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Labour Party, Britain; Joe Higgins, MP for Socialist Party, Ireland; Bob Crow, RMT union General Secretary, UK; Themis Kotsifakis, General Secretary of OLME, Greek secondary school teachers' union; Johan Rivas, Sindicato del Sector Público de Salud, Caracas, Venezuela; Paul Murphy, Member of European Parliament, Socialist Party; Antongiulio Mannoni, Secretary of CGIL (Italian Trade Union Confederation), Genoa; Stephen Jolly, Councillor Socialist Party, Yarra, Australia; Jonas Brännberg, Councillor Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna, Luleå, Sweden; Alfia Nakipbekova, Cellist; Sonja Grusch, Secretary, Sozialistische Linkspartei, Austria; Julien Daigneault, Secretary, Alternative Socialiste, Quebec. Peter Taaffe, General Secretary, Socialist Party, England

Ben Robinson, Youth Fight for Jobs

xxxxxxxx, Unite the Union

ted woodley, Socialist Party England and Wales

Finghin Kelly, Socialist Party (Ireland) / Unite

Sascha Stanicic, National spokesperson Sozialistische Alternative (SAV)

Anna Shadrova, Junge GEW Berlin (youth wing of education workers\\' union)

Steffen Strandt, Sozialistische Alternative

Caroline Vincent, Socialist Party of England and Wales

Cathryn Gathercole,

Teresa MacKay, Unite

ROSA David, Gauche Révolutionnaire CWI France

larisa konstantinova,

Brenda Sanders,

Wally Kennedy, Hillingdon TUC/Unite

Michael Cleverley, Unison (Retired)

Paul Callanan, Youth Fight for Jobs and Education

Youth Fight for Jobs and Education,
Campaign against austerity supported by 6 national trade unions

Mahe, CWI

Iain Dalton, Socialist Party / USDW
Vice-Chair USDAW F148 branch (personal capacity)

Hugh Caffrey,

Kristofer Lundberg, Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna
We stand with the Socialist Movement Kazakstan and will organise defence if nessessary.

Paul Newbery, Alternatywa Socjalistyczna

Katrine Williams, PCS DWP Group Vice President

Luc de Chivré, CGT éducation

Paul Gerrard, Manchester NUT
I met Esenbek in Belgium in March, he is a fine man. He must have the freedom to return to his country without fear of harrassment, which, if it occurred, would only have negative consequences for the Kazakh government.

Mark, PCS/Unite

Damian Winzcewski, Socialist Alternative

Dave Ireland, unemployed
No one should be punished for voicing political opposition.

Nick Chaffey, Socialist Party
Full support to the democratic rights of workers and trade unions in Kazakhstan and across the world.

Kacper Pluta, CWI

Johannes von Simons, spokesperson of young education workers\' union, junge GEW, Berlin branch, junge GEW Berlin

Chris Lamb, na

Wojciech Orowiecki, Alternatywa Socjalistyczna

Matt Whale, Unison
Solidarity to all fighting the Nazarbayev regime

Stefan Berg, CWI

Jon Dale, Unite Nottinghgamshire Health Service Branch
We are raising the issue of human and workers' rights in the British trade union movement. We will organise demonstrations outside British companies trading with Kazakhstan if Esenbek is arrested and if political prisoners are not released.

DAVE GORTON, UNITE LE/372 BRANCH

Andrew Hammond, Socialist Party

ottin, syndicaliste SNUIPP, enseignante

Helga Schröder, SLP, CWI Austria
SLP, CWI Austria

Thies Wilkening, ver.di
SAV

Regina Aulenbach,

mtodd, mmurphy, scunthorpe clp p.c.

CLIVE WALDER, CWU
What a scandal that former ‘Labour’ Prime Minister Tony Blair has close links with this government advising on repressing opposition. Just goes to show that he’s a Tory and shows the need for a real workers party

Yann Venier, CGT Pôle emploi
La CGT Pôle emploi en Lorraine sera particulièrement attentive à la situation d'Esenbek Ukteshbayev après son retour au Kazakhstan

BARABAN JOSETTE, cgt

Jack Huggins, Socialist party England/Wales

karas, CGT Saverne

ray darlington, gloucestershire socialist party
solidarity with esenbeks bringing democracy to the union and fighting back

Sharron Milsom, Socialist Party

Matt Waine, Socialist Party Councillor on Fingal County Council, socialist party

Olga Kalimagambetova, civic activist