Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·Dec. 2, 2003

AIDING AND ABETTING TORTURE -- Amnesty International has strongly criticized the Kazakh government for contributing to the lack of justice and human rights in neighboring Uzbekistan by agreeing to extradite individuals in the full knowledge that they would face torture and possibly death in a country "where torture is systematic, corruption is unchecked at every stage…and where courts apply the death penalty" indiscriminately and without respect for the rule of law. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7F87628C-1DFC-41F5-9956-133A8AB995C4.htm

KAZAKHGATE REACHES INTO CANADA -- A Canadian energy company has reported to U.S. authorities that it has uncovered possibly "improper" payments to foreign politicians and government officials. Press reports indicate the third country involved may be Kazakhstan, where the company, Petro-Canada, holds a 40% state in a joint venture of Maersk Oil of Denmark. Petrocan said it voluntarily reported the bribery payments to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, and promised to cooperate with investigations being conducted by both into violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's top financial advisor, New York banker James H. Giffen, was indicted last March on charges he paid $78 million in bribes to two senior Kazakh officials -- reportedly including Nazarbayev himself -- on behalf of American oil companies, according to The Globe and Mail. http://www.globeandmail.com/

DEFENDING THE DYNASTY -- President Nazarbayev is not a man to take risks. Although he has tightened election laws on his path to creating a one-party state, he has already begun maneuvering to shape the outcome of next year's parliamentary elections. The dictator is trying to head off any possible challenge from the new pro business Ak Zhol party. With some powerful business figures moving toward Ak Zohl, Nazarbayev fears it could be a threat to Asar, a pro-business party started by his daughter and heir apparent, Dariga Nazarbayeva. Business leaders have not flocked to her party nor have they shown much fear in criticizing her, reports Eurasianet. Nazarbayev, who has a history of jailing or driving into exile critics he feels are getting too much attention, wants to change that. He is reaching out to Ak Zohl voters to head off possible collaboration with other opposition parties and the emergence of rival political groups that could threaten the dynastic succession. The newest member of Ak Zhol is Altinbek Sarsenbayev, former Culture Minister and more recently ambassador to Russia, who also happens to be the President's nephew. Since he has joined an opposition party and not the one headed by his cousin Dariga, it would appear the dictator is not his favorite uncle. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav111303a.shtml

HE'S A REAL CARD HIMSELF -- If a man is known by the company he keeps, Nursultan Nazarbayev may soon find his picture in a deck of cards. A new book by a veteran U.S. diplomat says dictators like Nazarbayev should not be allowed to remain in power. What gives his message added impact is a review posted on the U.S. State Department's own web site declaring these dictators "continue to oppress their people, threaten their neighbors, give birth to terrorists and develop weapons of mass destruction…(and they) simply cannot be ignored and allowed to remain in, and gain, power." Nazarbayev is one of 45 such despots who belong on history's trash heap, contends Amb. Mark Palmer in Breaking the Real Axis of Evil (Rowman & Littlefield), and "the United States and other democratic nations have significant security and moral interests in ousting" them. Two already are gone -- Saddam Hussein and Liberia's Charles Taylor. Those who remain, along with Nazarbayev include Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Cuba's Fidel Castro, North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei. Palmer, who served under five US presidents, suggests military force is not the only way to effect the needed change. Sen. John McCain called the book a "radical blueprint for democratic change everywhere dictators oppress their people" http://www.state.gov/s/p/of/cal/25593.htm

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org or see VOD Archives [http://iicas.org/english/enlibrary/libr_16_03_01kp.htm]. 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.

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