During the Spring session of the PACE, 22 members signed a written declaration under the title “Magnitsky laws sanctions must be imposed in response to political prosecution in Kazakhstan” tabled by André Gattolin, the French senator and member of the French delegation to the Council of Europe
16 December is Kazakhstan’s Independence Day. However, this date is also known as the anniversary of the Zhanaozen shooting: six years ago, at least 17 striking oilmen died from police bullets. Since then, this day has been associated with the oppression of the civil society in Kazakhstan.
Representatives of the Foundation follow and attend the most important sessions and meetings of the international organizations and institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg, Vienna and Geneva.
On 4 August, 2016, the Kapshagai City Court of Almaty Province ordered the conditional release of opposition politician Vladimir Kozlov. The court decision will come into force in 15 days.
Geneva 23 June 2016 – On 22 and 23 June 2016 the UNHRC – the body that monitors the implementation of the rights enshrined in the ICCPR – reviewed for the second time since Kazakhstan is a party to the ICCPR the status of civil and political rights in the country.
Open Dialog Foundation calls on to urgently react to the wave of arrests of Kazakhstan activists, and make every effort to prevent violence against citizens during peaceful rally planned for the 21 May, 2016 in several Kazakhstan cities.
Four years ago, on 16 December, 2011, in the Kazakh city of Zhanaozen, riot police opened fire with live ammunition on the backs of unarmed oil workers, who had been protesting for higher wages and better working conditions for seven months.
PEN International and the Open Dialog Foundation deplore the current situation of Vladimir Kozlov, a Kazakh journalist, human rights defender and a leader of Alga!, a political opposition party, who is currently serving a seven-and-half-year prison sentence for ‘inciting social discord’.
In the end of June 2015, the Open Dialog Foundation published a report ’Harassment of civil society in Kazakhstan’. The Foundation’s analyst, Katerina Savchenko, provided answers to some clarifying questions in an interview with a journalist of the Radio Azattyq, Kazis Toguzbayev.
Owing to his serious health condition, a man convicted in the Zhanaozen case, Maksat Dosmagambetov, has been transferred from prison to house arrest. He stated that he wasn’taware of his exact diagnosis, as his medical records are stored in the police department.
On December 22, 2014, near the building of Presidential Administration, activists of the Open Dialog Foundation and members of the Kazakhstani opposition staged a political performance entitled ‘Poroshenko’s vaccination against the dictatorship virus’.
On December 22, 2014, near the building of Presidential Administration, activists of the Open Dialog Foundation and members of the Kazakhstani opposition staged a political performance entitled ‘Poroshenko’s vaccination against the dictatorship virus’.
In Kiev, a photo exhibition was opened to mark the anniversary of the shootings at the peaceful protest in the city of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan. The exhibition will be open from 12 December, 2014 to 21 December, 2014.
We have become aware of your planned visit to Kazakhstan, which will be held between 5-6 December. In this regard, we hereby ask you not to help Nursultan Nazarbayev in his fight against democracy through acquiescence to human rights violations in Kazakhstan.
One of the leaders of the Zhanaozen strike movement, Roza Tuletayeva, will be granted early release, her daughter, Aliya Tuletayeva, told the Open Dialog Foundation. This decision was made in a cassation court session today. Tuletayeva currently remains in the colony.
By persecuting political opponents, the Kazakh authorities openly flout public assurances, given to the international community. Kazakhstan declares that the right to a fair trial will be observed with respect to opposition politicians, journalists and activists.
Isabel Santos, the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, met today with jailed Kazakhstani opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov at a penal colony outside Almaty.
Over the past 1.5 years, independent and opposition media in Kazakhstan have found themselves on the brink of annihilation.
Human rights and the issue of their observance have become the subject of the conference, which was held in the Senate on 16 December, 2013.
Human rights and the issue of their observance have become the subject of the conference, which was held in the Senate on 16 December, 2013. The conference was organised by the Legislative Committee and the Human Rights, the Rule of Law and Petitions Committee.
On 16 December, we commemorated the second anniversary of these events. A special website: http://www.zhanaozen.eu/ has been launched in order to memorialise this tragedy.
On the second anniversary of the tragic events, an exhibition commemorating the strike and its pacification was opened in Warsaw.
Citing the independence of thought and action as a fundamental condition for the existence of a democratic state, we hereby call for the cessation of oppression against opposition political activists.
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan has released 6 oil workers from custody, who were convicted in the Zhanaozen case. However, the court upheld the sentences of the remaining prisoners, ignoring numerous statements on the use of torture against them by the investigating authorities.
On 11 May, the Finnish Centre for Art and Design in Fiskars held an exhibition of photographs from Kazakhstan, entitled ‘Silenced Voices’. The author, photographer and journalist, Kukka Ranta, visited Kazakhstan in autumn 2012 during the mission, organised by the Open Dialog Foundation
While the President of Finland was holding a meeting with Kazakh President in Astana, in Helsinki, journalists were making efforts to influence their leader. ‘Niinistö, do not forget about human rights’ – was the title of an article written by Kukka Ranta, who managed to visit Zhanaozen
The health condition of one of the leaders of the oil workers strike movement in Zhanaozen, Roza Tuletayeva, currently residing in prison, is critical. In order to protest against the inaction of the colony management, Roza Tuletayeva has been forced to declare a hunger strike.
On 18 January, 2013, a court trial in connection with the assassination of Aleksandr Bozhenko, (one of the witnesses of the Zhanaozen events of 16 December, 2011,) came to an end
In Kazakhstan, sentences against participants of the tragic events in Zhanaozen and Shetpe village have been revised. The decisions of the appellate board did not meet the expectations of the public.
We present to you an information booklet, devoted to the turbulent situation in the Republicof Kazakhstan – the largest country in Central Asia and the third largest economy in the CIS (after Russia and Ukraine).
On the 9th of October, 2012, in Warsaw, the European Parliament Information Office in Warsaw held a press conference entitled ‘Has Kazakhstan changed? – A year after the shootings in Zhanaozen’.
On the 9th of October, 2012, in Warsaw, the European Parliament Information Office in Warsaw held a press conference entitled ‘Has Kazakhstan changed? – A year after the shootings in Zhanaozen’. The conference was dedicated to the court sentence handed down against the leader of the opposition party ‘Alga!’ V. Kozlov. Methods of influence on […]
BRUSSELS, 20th of September, 2012 – Social society activists from Kazakhstan, following the example of the so-called ‘Magnitsky List’, drew up their own list of officials and named it the ‘Zhanaozen List’
In Kazakhstan, the largest political process, in which Vladimir Kozlov, the leader of the main opposition party ‘Alga!’ is principal accused, is ongoing.
On the 16th of August, 2012, at 10:00 am, in the Mangistau Regional Court in Aktau, the trial of Vladimir Kozlov, Serik Sapargali and Akzhanat Aminov began
The Appellate court in an accelerated procedure, considered the appeals of 13 convicted oil workers. Vladimir Kozlov was deprived of the right to become familiarised with the evidence of the case before the trial
The Appellate Court softened the sentence of the former police officers convicted for abuse of office during the dispersal of the peaceful demonstration of oil workers on the 16th-17th of December, 2011 in Zhanaozen
The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay declared during a press conference in Astana, that she would closely monitor the situation with the criminal case against Vladimir Kozlov, who has been under arrest for more than seven months.
Sign the petition demanding justice for the oil workers and people in Kazakhstan
On the 19th of June, 2012, in the European Parliament, a hearing on Kazakhstan was held.
On the 19th of June, 2012, in the European Parliament, a hearing on Kazakhstan was held.
Press announcement
REPORT
On Monday, the 4th of June, 2012, during the trial concerning the riots in Zhanaozen on the 15th and 16th of December 2011, 36 sentences, of 36 out of 37 defendants, were read.
Press Conference in Kyiv, 18.05.2012
During the Aktau trial for those whom President Nazarbaev and his closest advisors decided to deem guilty of organising mass riots in Zhanaozen on the 16th-17th of December, 2011, methods by which special prosecutors and investigators forced defendants to give ‘confessions’ were revealed
Metaphrase
The Open Dialog Foundation continues to monitor the situation in Aktau, where hearings on the case of the riots on December 16-17 in Zhanaozen have been carried out. This document provides a brief chronology of the trial.
During the hearing related to the tragic events in Zhanaozen on the 16th of December, 2011, an injured policeman abandoned his claim against the defendants.
In early March 2012 the international community placed high expectations on Kazakhstan. But the situation began to change dramatically after the prominent opposition leaders
Trials are closed to the media and international observers,oppression of the editorial staff of the ‘Golos Respubliki’ newspaper and opposition activists continues
The appeal of the Polish society, the media and NGOs to the government of Kazakhstan to stop violations of human rights and freedom of speech
An interview with Piotr Borys, MEP, after his return from Almaty and Zhanaozen, where mass riots took place in December
The beginning of 2012 was marked by arrests of journalists of opposition newspapers and social activists.
Ermukhamet Ertysbaev: ‘As for the TV channel “K +”, they carry out acts of real information terrorism against Kazakhstan’.
The National Security Committee of Kazakhstan commits acts that bear signs of a planned operation aimed at blocking the work of the regional offices of the ‘Alga!’ party.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, made the following statement today: “Kazakhstan is an important partner for the EU in Central Asia and the EU has good relations and dialogue with Kazakhstan, which are important to maintain for exchanging our views and concerns. My meeting […]
Markus Löning, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, issued the following statement in Berlin.
Drop Vague Criminal Charge, Release Detainees
Vladimir Kozlov and Igor Vinyavskiy were arrested on charges of inciting social unrest and calling for the violent overthrow and change of the constitutional order by force and violation of the unity in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In Kazakhstan, representatives of mass media and opposistion organisations were arrested on fabricated charges
On the 17th of January, 2012 at 1.00 p.m., Nurlan Beysenov, an officer of the National Security Committee, came to the office of the ‘Stan.kz’. He handed orders to report for interrogation on the same day (on the 17th of January, 2012 at 3.00 p.m.) to 15 workers of ‘Stan.kz’. Such an order directed at […]
It is likely that next week the European Parliament will hold a minute’s silence to honour the victims of the December riots in Kazakhstan. The request was submitted to the head of the EP, Jerzy Buzek by the Open Dialog Foundation and the MEP Piotr Borys.
Opposition public figure Ayzhangul Amirova was detained in Aktau.
Special correspondent of ‘Novaya gazeta’ Elena Kostyuchenko is reporting about the situation in Zhanaozen
The continued reportage of ‘Zhanaozen’
Special correspondent of ‘Novaya gazeta’ Elena Kostyuchenko is reporting about the situation in Zhanaozen.
Appeal to the representatives of the European society to provide humanitarian assistance to the Mangistau Province inhabitants who suffered as a result of disorder.
On 16thDecember, 2011 in the city of Zhanaozen at approx. 10 a.m. local time on Independence Day, striking oil workers and their family members, who have been taking part in the protests since 17th May 2011, were dispersed by means of extreme measures in the form of the use of noxious gases and the
On November 14-16, 2011 in the Akimat of the city of Zhanaozen meetings of the dismissed workers of the production branch “KarazhanbasMunai” and the representatives of the authorities were held.
On October 26, 2011, Asan Amilov, a cameraman, and Orken Bisen, a journalist from the “Stan.kz” were subject to armed attack in Aktau, the Mangistau District. The bullet-wounded victims were admitted to hospital. A criminal investigation was initiated in connection with the incident.
On October 26, 2011 in the city of Zhanaozen, at approx. 5.30 p.m. local time, an armed attack was carried out against Yestay Karashaev, a dismissed striking oil sector worker.
Today in Zhanaozen police officers stopped the car transporting the copies of the newspaper “Voice of the Respublika.”
IMF&ICEM: Oil workers and their family members are frequently beaten by thugs. Every day workers also receive death threats.
During the plenary session in Strasbourg, Marek Migalski presented the situation of Kazakh oil industry workers to Members of the Parliament.
On 28 September, 2011, the Open Dialog Foundation, within the framework of the conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe entitled Human Dimension Implementation Europe Meeting in Warsaw, is going to organize a seminar.
On 24 August, 2011 in the suburbs of the city of Zhanaozen (the Western Kazakhstan), Zhansaule Karabalaeva, 18-year-old daughter of Kudaibergen Karabalaev was found dead with multiple stab wounds.
On 3 August, 2011, Zhaksylyk Turbaev, a 28-year-old trade-union activist, an oil industry worker-borer of the company “MunayFieldService” was murdered in Zhanaozen.
The workers of “OzenMunayGaz”, “Karazhanbasmunay”, and a part of the Italian ENI holding “The Ersai Caspian Contractor LLC” have continued their termless protest action.
