EROSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN KAZAKHSTAN

HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN
OF MASSACHUSETTS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, May 23, 2002

Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my concern about continuing serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kazakhstan, including substantial noncompliance with their Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on democratization and the holding of free and fair elections.

Kazakhstan has been a participating state of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) since 1992 and has freely accepted all OSCE commitments, including those concerning human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Kazakhstan has affirmed that every individual has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, expression, association, peaceful assembly and movement, freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and if charged with an offense the right to a fair and public trial. And, Kazakhstan has committed itself to build, consolidate, and strengthen democracy as the only system of government, and is obligated to hold free elections at reasonable intervals, to respect the right of citizens to seek political or public office without discrimination, to respect the right of individuals and groups to establish in full freedom their own political parties, and to allow parties and individuals wishing to participate in the electoral process access to the media on a nondiscriminatory basis.

Nevertheless, President Nursultan Nazarbaev dissolved parliament in 1993 and again in 1995, when he also annulled scheduled Presidential elections. He has also refused to register opposition parties, and has exited opposition figures and forced members of the media out of the country. On January 10, 1999, President Nazarbaev was reelected in snap Presidential elections from which a leading challenger was excluded for having addressed an unregistered organization, "For Free Elections," and the OSCE assessed the election as falling far short of international standards. Finally, on June 22, 2000, the Kazakhstan parliament approved draft legislation designed to give President Nazarbaev various powers and privileges for the rest of his life.

In March of this year, President Nazarbayev imprisoned two of his leading political rivals, and former Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin remains in exile. Additionally, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan recently admitted that more than one billion dollars of Kazakh public monies had been transferred to off-shore bank accounts in President Nazarbayev's name.

President Nazarbayev's family owns and controls all major media outlets in Kazakhstan including television, radio and newspapers. The independent media in Kazakhstan , which used to be fairly free, has been pressured, co-opted, or crushed, leaving few outlets for the expression of independent or opposition views, thus limiting the press's ability to criticize or comment on the President's campaign to remain in office indefinitely or on high-level corruption.

I urge this Administration to make a more concerted and stronger effort to raise with President Nazarbayev at every opportunity, the concern about serious violations of human rights, including noncompliance with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on democracy and rule of law. Kazakhstan needs to come into compliance with OSCE commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, specifically the holding of free and fair elections that do not exclude genuine challengers, to permit independent and opposition parties and candidates to participate on an equal basis with representation in election commissions at all levels, and to allow domestic nongovernmental and political party observers, as well as international observers.

I also encourage the Administration to raise with the governments of other OSCE participating states the possible implications for OSCE participation of any participating state in the region that engages in clear, gross, and uncorrected violations of its OSCE commitments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. To that end, Voice of America and Radio Liberty should expand broadcasting to Central Asia especially into Kazakhstan , as needed, with a focus on assuring that the peoples of the region have access to unbiased news and programs that support respect for human rights and the establishment of democracy and the rule of law.

“Congressional Record”, May 24, 2002