MEPs Call On Nur-Sultan To Release Political Prisoners, Stop Prosecution Of Unrest Victims

The DROI statement specifically called for the release of Zhanbolat Mamai, a journalist and leader of the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, who has been in custody since mid-March.

Source: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. -Click to read full article

25 August 2022

The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) has called on Kazakh authorities to release all political prisoners and stop the criminal prosecution of those who died during unrest in the Central Asian nation in January.

The group of MEPs highlighted in a statement issued on August 24 "the importance of a transparent, comprehensive, and fair investigation into January 2022 events" and called on Nur-Sultan to stop the criminal prosecution of those killed during the unrest.

The January unrest occurred after a peaceful demonstration against a fuel-price hike in the tightly controlled country's western region of Manghystau led to widespread anti-government protests that were violently dispersed by law enforcement and the military.

Thousands of people were detained during and after the protests, which President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said were caused by "20,000 terrorists" from abroad, a claim for which authorities have provided no evidence. Authorities said 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed during the unrest. Authorities labeled many of those killed during the unrest "terrorists" and launched probes against them posthumously.

The DROI statement called for the "immediate halt to the harassment and intimidation of political and civil society activists and the release of all political prisoners...and the criminal prosecution of people deceased in the course of the January events."