Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·Sept. 10, 2002

DISABUSING THE ABUSER -- With the Congress back from its summer recess, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is rounding up sponsors for his legislation to "strongly register our disapproval" of the Nazarbayev dictatorships "attempt to silence civil society." Nazarbayev needs to be disabused of the attitude that "Washington's desire for good relations…guarantees him impunity, no matter what he does," said Smith. Doing so is important for the prospects of democracy in the region and for American security interests, he added. Smith is a longtime critic of Nazarbayev's "many human rights abuses" his crack down on the media and political foes. H.Con. Res. 442, which he introduced, spotlights the "continuing serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kazakhstan, including substantial noncompliance" with international commitments on human rights and democratization, Smith said in a letter to his House of Representatives colleagues. "Since September 11, while some Central Asian leaders have taken incremental steps to address longstanding human rights transgressions, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev has actually cracked down hard on domestic opposition movements and the independent media," he noted. http://thomas.loc.gov/r107/r107.html

SHE'S COMPLAINING TO THE WRONG PARTY -- Media mogul Dariga Nazarbayeva, who runs the state-owned Khabar TV and is daughter of the Kazakh dictator, told a news conference that the police are not doing enough to combat the growing number of physical assaults on journalists. It is not only tarnishing the country's image, she said, but increasing the number of her father's opponents. It's hard to take her comments seriously, said media sources, because she knows that the police are behind many of the attacks, and if her father wanted them stopped and the culprits apprehended, he just has to give the word. The first daughter, who is also chairman of the Congress of Kazakhstan's Journalists, said the fact that there is a rising tide of anti-media violence and "no one has been punished" reflects negligence or indifference on the part of her father's prime minister. But she added she doesn't think there is anything political behind the attacks or the failure of her father's government to prosecute those responsible. Nearly all the victims have been critics of the Nazarbayev regime. http://www.khabar.Kazakhstan/news_eng/

'PLAY HARDBALL WITH DICTATORS' -- Kazakh President Nazarbayev is "facing enormous political opposition" from critics inside the country and some who've been forced into exile, according to Ahmet Rashid, a leading Pakistani journalist. Speaking to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, he said Central Asia is in "enormous ferment." He warned that domestic turmoil against authoritarian regimes could also be directed against the United States if it is perceived as propping up unpopular, corrupt dictators. Opposition and democratic forces took encouragement from the U.S. victory against the Taliban and American resolve to fight terrorism, he said, but Washington has done nothing to take advantage of that enthusiasm. Instead, the democratic forces have been discouraged by the lack of follow-through and failure of the US to pay attention to the domestic ferment in these dictatorships. He urged the Bush Administration to set markers, such as demands for free and fair elections, and link them to the quality of relations with the US. Washington should not tolerate Nazarbayev and other leaders exploiting their US support and the war against terror to crack down on their foes. The Pentagon is running US policy in Central Asia, not the State Department, Rashid said, and leaders like Nazarbayev see that and feel they can ignore the admonitions of American diplomats. In return for American economic, military and political support, Washington should "play hardball" with these dictators, demanding economic reforms, free and fair elections and dialogue between the regimes and their political opponents. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org

STUNTING ECONOMIC GROWTH -- President Nazarbayev, his family and cronies control virtually all of the most lucrative sectors of the Kazakh economy, and that may be driving away entrepreneurs and threatening future economic growth, according to a Eurasia View commentary on RFE/RL. Many of the country's businessmen are thinking of selling out and leaving for Russia to escape the corruption and smothering controls, he added. Corruption, monopolies and capital flight can have a negative impact on prospects for future economic expansion. http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

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