Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. · Apr 4, 2002

OSCE PROTESTS NAZARBAYEV REPRESSION -- President Nazarbayev's special police forces physically attacked a female member of Parliament earlier this week as part of a campaign of "harassment...harsh legal measures and physical actions" against critics of the regime, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) charged. The violence and other measures have been aimed at opposition politicians and the media. Senator Z. Battalova was assaulted while protesting police attacks on journalists outside the French Embassy in Almaty where an opposition activist, Galymzhan Zhaqiyanov, has taken refuge. The OSCE statement made clear the international body feels the government fails to respect the independence of Parliament, the right of citizens to freedom of assembly, the people's and the media's freedom of speech, principles of political pluralism, human rights, due process and the rule of law. http://www.osce.org/almaty

CORRUPTION DRIVING OUT INVESTORS -- Corruption, reaching the highest levels of government, is driving investors away from Kazakhstan at an alarming rate, reports The Times of London. "Corruption, mountains of red tape and fear of personal attacks" were blamed for creating an anti-business atmosphere. The latest to leave in the British electric company, International Power, which had invested more than $40 million (US) on state projects. It said corrupt and inept government officials have rendered Kazakhstan unfit for foreign business. American and French utility firms also are threatening to pull out. Many of the Westerners say their problems are compounded by threats from growing armies of local mafia, The Times reported. It also noted that another barrier to investment is " the continued grip of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his wife, daughters and sons-in-law over virtually every business in the country." http://www.thetimes.co.uk/

CROOKS CHASING CROOKS -- American and British security sources say government promises to crack down on the criminals are a "sham," according to The Times, because too many of the police are themselves dirty. If the government security forces weren't the criminals themselves they know who the bad guys are and probably are getting paid off by organized crime to look the other way, the paper reported. Western businessmen are frequent targets for Kazakh criminals so they've begun hiring their own bodyguards because the authorities cannot be trusted. It is not unusual for the "largely corrupt police" to stop a foreigner and ask for his identity papers and a bribe, it noted. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/

NO JAIL FOR NOW -- An opposition activist who sought sanctuary in the French Embassy following a botched attempt by Kazakh police to arrest him has been allowed to go home instead of to jail, according to news reports. Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, a former provincial governor and an organizer of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan party left the embassy after Kazakh officials signed an agreement with France, Germany Britain and the United States promising not to jail him for trial. He will instead be placed under house arrest. Zhakiyanov and his supporters say the charges of corruption leveled against him are political and stem not from his time as governor but from his criticism of the Nazarbayev regime. Meanwhile, his home is reportedly surrounded by police cars, not just to keep him inside but to keep his supporters out. http://www.ap.org

PLEA FOR BUSH TO HELP -- International attention focused on the plight of Galymzhan Zhakiyanov helped free the man who Nazarbayev's spokesman dismissed as a "primitive criminal," reports the Los Angeles Times. But not before his supporters of Galymzhan Zhakiyanov called on President George W. Bush for support. Zhakiyanov became a target for government prosecutors after a Paris meeting with the leader of Kazakhstan's democratic opposition, Akezhan Kazhegeldin. He was subsequently accused of abuse of office as governor of Pavlodar. He fled to the French Embassy not for political asylum but out of fear for his personal safety. In an open letter to Bush, supporters said the agreement the American president signed with Nazarbayev only last December has been totally ignored. It expressed a "desire to strengthen democratic institutions and to achieve progress in the sphere of the independent media, local self-government, pluralism, and free and fair elections." Nazarbayev's actions, in fact, "are directly opposite" to the promise he made in Washington, and "dissidents are being openly persecuted and the citizens' rights and freedoms are being restricted." A similar plea was sent to the European Parliament. The United States has expressed "surprise and concern," adding, " the actions suggest an effort to intimidate political opposition leaders and the independent media," the U.S. Embassy said. http://www.latimes.com, http://www.respublika.Kz/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org. The Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation promotes democracy and human rights in Kazakhstan through public affairs and educational programs in the United States and Europe. This material is distributed by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.