Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan: Nations in Transit 2013

Published by on June 18, 2013

Freedom House 18 June 2013 Kazakhstan’s political stability and rising economic prosperity belie deeply undemocratic practices that have become fixed in the country’s post-Soviet existence. These undemocratic practices were on clear display in 2012. In January, Kazakhstan’s government mobilized its administrative and propaganda machine to hold parliamentary elections that further entrenched the power of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his ruling Nur Otan party. After the vote, in which two satellite parties of Nur Otan won just a handful of seats, regime supporters countered criticisms of election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions Read the full article…

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Kazakhstan: USCIRF Annual Report 2013 - Tier 2

Published by on April 30, 2013

US Commission on International Religious Freedom 30 April 2013 Although the Kazakh government promotes religious tolerance at the international level, its restrictive 2011 religion law bans unregistered religious activity and has been enforced through police raids, detentions, and major fines. The law’s onerous registration requirements have led to a sharp drop in the number of registered religious groups, both Muslim and Protestant. Religious freedom conditions in Kazakhstan deteriorated in 2012. In late 2011, the Kazakh government adopted a repressive new religion law, which resulted in a sharp drop in the number of registered religious groups in 2012. Unregistered religious activity Read the full article…

Kazakhstan: 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

Published by on April 19, 2013

US Department of State 19 April 2013 The Republic of Kazakhstan has a government system dominated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the ruling Nur Otan Party. The constitution concentrates power in the presidency. The president controls the legislature and the judiciary as well as regional and local governments. Changes or amendments to the constitution require presidential consent. The 2012 national elections for the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament) fell short of international standards, as did the 2011 presidential election in which President Nazarbayev received 95 percent of the vote. Some security forces reported to civilian authorities; intelligence services reported to Read the full article…

Kazakhstan: Freedom in the World 2013

Published by on April 10, 2013

Freedom House 10 April 2013 In January 2012, the government extended its emergency powers following December 2011 violence between police and striking oil workers in Zhanaozen that left 16 people dead. The authorities continued to harass and detain journalists attempting to report on the aftermath, arrested opposition politicians, and rushed dozens of defendants to trial. In December, a court shuttered a major group of opposition media outlets for propagating “extremism.” Separately, the government strictly enforced 2011 legislation on religion, leaving up to a third of previously legal organizations outside the law and criminalizing believers who continued to meet without registration. Read the full article…

Kazakhstan: World Report 2013

Published by on January 31, 2013

Human Rights Watch 31 January 2013 Kazakhstan’s human rights record seriously deteriorated in 2012, following violent clashes in December 2011 between police and demonstrators, including striking oil workers, in western Kazakhstan. Authorities blamed outspoken oil workers and political opposition activists for the unrest. Freedom of assembly is restricted and dozens were fined or sentenced to administrative arrest in early 2012 for participating in peaceful protests. A restrictive law on religious freedoms remained in force. Media remains under tight control and there were attacks on independent journalists. Legislation regulating workers’ rights is vague and burdensome, and a ban on strikes in Read the full article…

Kazakhstan: at least 13 dead and dozens wounded during demonstrations

Published by on December 21, 2011

World Organisation Against Torture 21 December 2011 The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) are alarmed over reports on the excessive use of force against demonstrators in the Manghystau region and the detentions that followed. The last days have seen at least 13 deaths and dozens of injuries as State violence. We join the appeal made by Kazakhstani human rights organisations[1] for a transparent, thorough and impartial investigation into the unrest and the use of deadly force. On 16 December, around 100-150 protesters gathered on the central square in Janaozen to demand respect Read the full article…