On the occasion of the visit of the Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev to Brussels, the Open Dialogue Foundation organised a manifestation in protest against human rights violations. The guest of honour was Alma Shalabayeva, wife of Mukhtar Ablyazov, dissident and oppositionist, the Nazarbayev regime’s main opponent.
Nazarbayev visited Brussels due to the conclusion of negotiations of the new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Kazakhstan, where he met, amongst others, Jose Manuel Barosso. Therefore, on October 9th at the seat of European Commission and the European External Action Service we attempted to draw attention to the persecution of oppositionists and independent journalists in Kazakhstan, by protesting against the authoritarian rule of the country.
