Z. Nurkadilov's death will not be unavenged
Serik Medetbekov, leader of the Kazakh opposition foreign bureau answers questions of
Almaty newspaper Zhuma-times
Q: Does the letter that Zake (Zamanbek Nurkadilov) wrote to you really
exist? Why hasn't been it published yet? What is the reason for the delay?
Shortly before his death, Zamanbek Nurkadilov wrote a handwritten
letter addressed to his associates in opposition working abroad. The letter was brought to
us by a courier, like any other important correspondence from him or for him.
Zake's last letter was literally handwritten, by pen on a sheet of
paper. He didn't print it out or send via e-mail. Therefore, the authenticity of this
document is beyond doubt. It confirms that Zake was not going to take his own life or give
up the struggle.
“…The somewhat discontinuation of our contacts should be
regarded by no means as my refusal to continue the struggle to attain our main goal: that
the Kazakhs and their state obtain the true freedom, identify themselves in the national
community as a true nation with its own language, traditions, national riches who has
built a democratic secular state able to look in the future with optimism under its proud
flag!..
The above discontinuation was prompted by a number of circumstances
connected with the political games and counter-games, which I honestly described to you. I
will try to add more detail in this letter on some of them. In any case, I assure you,
that I haven't fallen out, I am alive and I am not going to quit our joint struggle”…
We haven't published Zamanbek Nurkadilov's letter yet, as the
information it contains may be used by the regime to stage countermeasures against the
opposition. Mr. Nurkadilov was not just a theorist, he proposed plans of active steps to
be taken after the Kazakh nation again is robbed of its right to change the corrupt
government.
Furthermore, the letter contains a detailed analysis of Zharmakhan
Tuyakbai's election campaign strategy. We would rather not provide the authorities with
reasons for new provocations against the single opposition candidate.
One thing is clear and we can tell it right now: Zake stood for active
popular actions and organized them. He was reluctant to ask permission to do things that
are guaranteed by the Kazakh Constitution – the right to express one's own will and
one's own protest. In summer, he started preparations for a protest campaign against
Nursultan Nazarbayev's running for office for the fourth time.
“The revolution must be legitimate. Revolution in Kazakhstan is
legitimate even before the election as we can prove to the whole world that Nazarbayev's
running for president for the fourth or fifth time is illegitimate… At that meeting in
August I suggested a version of an “orange revolution” in late September – early
October. The basic idea is: “Elections without Nazarbayev!”… I will stage and lead
meetings and the unrest, I will find organizers for recruiting meeting participants.
Ultimately, I will be responsible for everything …”
Zamanbek Nurkadilov's letter is an invaluable and indisputable
document. It confirms that Zake was a passionate fighter ready to fight up to the last
ditch with Nazarbayev. He was not afraid to assume responsibility for his nation and his
country.
Q: Do you agree that Zake "laid low", i.e. avoided
political events for some time past?
I will never agree with this! There are phony political figures who
laid low and lay low at present like Gany Kasymov or Olzhas Suleimenov. Zamanbek
Nurkadilov was in the center of the struggle – both public and backstage - till the very
end.
The other thing that he had to be very careful as he was the target of
the entire special service machine. Here is his description of the circumstances he had to
face lately:
“...My yard, my house, naturally, all the phones are tapped. …
There is a taboo on mentioning my name not only by the authorities but also the opposition
and its media. This doesn't shock or frighten me at all, on the contrary, it stimulates me
to look for new ways of struggle.
I still pose a threat to the above persons, which proves once again
that whole struggle is ahead, and we are in for many surprises. And most important: I
remain the main opponent of not only the power but also the underground oligarch groups
that seek power.
I have proved this by way of reconnaissance and direct actions, as well
as by the accompanying interest to my person. These have highlighted and exposed secret
plans of their further actions and the way things will unfold after the election. In this
connection, I will have to seek and find new tactics that I intend to implement into
practice. I have tried some of them already.
Therefore, I have to be very careful today to create a smokescreen for
my activities. I would rather not to go in detail now…”
Q: Did Zake take any documents abroad? What kind of documents are they,
have anyone seen them, who is in charge of them, when will they be made public, where
should we expect to read them?
It's hard to say today from where the documents collected by Zake will
“shoot”. During his trip to Western Europe, Z. Nurkadilov met with experts on
combating government corruption from the European Union. He specially wet to Brussels for
that. Later, he employed staff members of the international commission for exposing
corruption in Kazakhstan that he had set up in Germany. In France, he met the lawyer who
represented his interests. In Switzerland, as far as I know, the government or
law-enforcement authorities also backed the activity of the commission.
The junta in Kazakhstan seems to have run out of patience expecting the
exposure, the nerves of those implicated in the Kazakhgate scandal failed them, and the
order to eliminate was given.
I am not a member of the international commission, but I know from Zake
that he received documents directly from our officials shocked by the pervasive theft and
the domination of foreign “tame” oligarchs, with the help of whom the family drains
the country dry. In particular, he had documents containing the secrets of Kazakhmys
owners enrichment, payment documents of the notorious “Eurasian trio”, as well as
information on trade in rare-earth metals via the company whose name struck Mr. Nurkadilov
– “Zambezi”.
We should dismiss right away the argument that the authorities were not
interested in Mr. Nurkadilov's death at this very moment. They chose to kill in the height
of the election campaign, so they must have feared these documents more than the
international scandal.
I am unable to tell you when Zamanbek Nurkadilov's achieve is to be
published. To do so, western lawyers will need an official confirmation of Mr.
Nurkadilov's death. I believe that the “death certificate” will do for them to execute
the will of the decedent. Perhaps, a decision of certain Swiss authority will be needed.
Q: Zake mentioned a new report of the international commission on
fighting corruption in Kazakhstan. Do you know anything about this?
This report was to focus on high treason by a Kazakh citizen who
knowingly cooperated with the US intelligence. I don't name this high-ranking official on
purpose, as everyone knows it very well. But if you publish it, the newspaper will be
seized and burnt.
With the help of foreign sources, the commission must show that $100
mln in bribes for Kazakhgate was the payment for intelligence information that the adviser
received and sent on to CIA.
The lawyers of James Giffen, who will face trial soon in New York, are
known to have obtained a permission to study the top secret reports that Giffen regularly
sent to CIA after his trips to Kazakhstan and his rendezvous with his “super agent”.
According to the journalists who have seen these documents, they are very explicit on the
amounts of money and gifts that were given, and also on the instructions the US citizen
gave to his “patron” when they needed from Kazakhstan some information or certain
steps on the international arena.
In addition, the commission received reports about the accounts of the
above person and his family members in Malaysia on which the moneys for the Kazakh copper,
zinc, gold, uranium, and steel were transferred. Does anybody really think that the
accounts seized in Switzerland were the only accounts he had?
Q: Does the foreign bureau has any plans in connection with the
death of Zamanbek Nurkadilov, will it continue its operation?
It will be tantamount to betrayal of Mr. Nurkadilov's memory to quit
now. He seemed to have foreseen what was in store for him, as he wrote in his last letter
the following:
“No matter how the situation will unfold, all of you, my foreign
associates, will never stop for a while, the government or opposition cobwebs should not
mislead you …
You should act even more decisively, be more aggressive, don't give the
authorities a single chance to find new niches to continue contacts with Western
officials. I am glad to inform you that you skillful and timely actions have made the
dictatorship suffer a lot! That's why I am proud of you. I respect you all and love as a
father…”
Could we possibly give in and quit after these words that are actually
his farewell words?!
Today, there is a process started in the US and Europe to set up an
international commission to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Nurkadilov's murder. It
will comprise members of several very influential international groups, MEPs, and
independent lawyers. There has been no one nominated from Kazakhstan so far. This gives
reason for concern.
The Kazakh opposition abroad is experienced in attracting international
forces to investigations into the crimes of the Kazakh regime. There were international
probes into the provocation against Sergei Duvanov.
Every revolution, even a velvet one, has its own martyrs. In Ukraine,
journalist Gongadze was such a martyr. In Kazakhstan, several opposition journalists died.
And now it's the turn of the popular tribune. Their deaths will not remain unavenged.
Zhuma-times, Almaty, 24 November 2005
http://www.eurasia.org.ru/
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