Appeal for an international and independent commission of inquiry into the circumstances of Mr. Nurkadilov's murder

On November 12, 2005, one of the most outspoken critics of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was found murdered in his house. The initial version of a suicide was dismissed after it was made public that three bullets had entered Mr. Nurkadilov's body: one through the head and the other two through the chest.

After publicly demanding that President Nazarbayev respond to the allegations related to the "Kazakhgate," a major corruption scandal involving the President and his close aides, one of whom is currently being tried in a New York court, Z. Nurkadilov was fired from his government post of member of the Kazakh Government. Subsequently, Nurkadilov went on to become one of opposition's most impassionate spokesmen. His murder came just three weeks before the presidential elections in the oil-rich country.

The signers of the petition, are aware of the fact that former legal investigations by Kazakh authorities seem to have been manipulated for political reasons. The cases of the former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin and independent journalist Sergei Duvanov readily come to mind. Both were tried and convicted (in absentia, in Kazhegeldin's case) of charges which were widely viewed as designed to discredit them and prevent them from continuing to criticize President Nazarbayev.

Therefore, we urge for an international and independent commission of inquiry into the circumstances of Mr. Nurkadilov's murder. We believe that only such a body will assure impartiality and fairness of the investigation's results.

Dr. Rinat Akhmetshin, Director IEI, USA

Laima Andrikiene, MEP

Lira Baisetova, Journalist, Switzerland

Martin Callanan, MEP

The Democratic Congress of Central Asia

Daniel Cohn-Bendit, MEP

Eurasian Transition Group, Germany

Nurmuhammed Hanamov, Chairman Republican Party Turkmenistan

International Commission for Transparency in Kazakhstan

International Eurasian Institute for Economic and Political Research, USA

International Institute for Democracy, France

Michael Laubsch, President ETG, Germany

Markus Meckel, former Minister, Germany

Serik Medetbekov, Sagranbureau - Foreign representation of the Kazakh opposition, Germany

Igor Scherbik, Sagranbureau - Foreign representation of the Kazakh opposition, Canada

Teppo Tiiilikainen, Journalist, Finland

Topchubek Turgunaliev, Chairman Erkindik, Kyrgyzstan

Ari Vatanen, MEP

November 28, 2005

http://www.vremya.ru/2005/211/5/138434.html