Strasbourg
12 June, 2002

Dear Mr.Chairman,
Dear Members of the European Parliament,
Ladies and gentlemen, participants in the hearings on political situation in Kazakhstan,

Let me first thank members of the European Parliament for their concern about the situation regarding human rights and freedoms in my native country. I express the gratitude on behalf of all Kazakh democratic parties and public associations–members of the Democratic Forces Forum.

It is for the third time that representatives of Kazakh democratic opposition come to Strasbourg. This testifies to the United Europe's interest in our country, as well as the fact that Kazakh democratic opposition considers the EU democratic parties and institutions as their natural allies and partners.

Yesterday, I was given the Freedom Passport signed by members of the European Parliament. The Passport has given support not only for me as an activist of Kazakh democratic opposition, but for all my associates, members of the Republican People's Party and the Democratic Forces Forum.

I would like to specially thank MEP Ari Vatonen, the initiator of this move. He has felt alarm for the fate of democracy in far-away Kazakhstan, and has called on his colleagues to join this solidarity act.

Many Kazakh democrats have been forced, like me, to flee from Kazakhstan because of secret services persecution. Others have been jailed as payment for their right to criticize President Nazarbayev. I would like to draw your attention to the destiny of Mukhtar Ablyazov and Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, who have been jailed recently. Mr. Ablyzov was a minister, and Mr. Zhakiyanov was a region's governor as long as they supported President Nazarbayev and did not call for democratic reforms. A crackdown was launched after they joined the opposition, which proved that both criminal cases are politically motivated. We demand that Muktar Ablyazov and Galumshan Zhakiyanov be immediately released and ask the European Union to help stop the outrage.

Mssrs. Ablyazov and Zhakiyanov are not the only victims of the political repression. Members of the Republican People's Party Satzhan Ibrayev and Petr Afanasenko were sentenced to prison terms on false charges of plotting armed attacks. Thanks to a Western protest campaign, appeals by international human rights organizations and members of parliament, Mssrs. Ibrayev and Afanasenko were freed.

I am sure that all of us, who currently live in forced exile, will soon return to our home land, maybe even this year. Protests in Kazakhstan increase every day. Kazakh citizens want to live like other peoples live in Europe – they want to lead a free, prosperous life and exercise all their natural human rights and freedoms. Democratic support will play a major role in the triumph of democracy in Kazakhstan: the support from international human rights groups, world press, OSCE, Western and U.S. parliaments and governments.

We believe the European Union has not fully realized yet its potentially powerful influence in Central Asia. Its reputation in the region is really huge. I will give a most recent example: a series of attacks has been launched this spring on Kazakh opposition newspapers and television channels. A printing house of the newspaper "Vecherny Atyrau" was burnt down in Western Kazakhstan, a feeder cable of the television company TAN was destroyed by a sniper in Almaty, an office of the weekly "Delovoye Obozreniye" was set on fire. Editorial office of the only remaining Kazakh-language independent newspaper "SolDat" was attacked, its several journalists were hospitalized for brain injuries, the office was destroyed.

The "SolDat" editor-in-chief, Yermurat Bapi, is present here. He was in the office during the attack and can describe the terror attack himself. I would like to stress that all those events have been ignored by the authorities. The public was indignant, international human rights organizations sent the President letters and cables, U.S. Department of State voiced an official protest. President Nazarbayev kept silence. Just on May 29, when the EU denounced the repression and demanded an investigation, Nursultan Nazarbayev made a statement. He said he knew nothing about the events as he was on a foreign trip.

Those were not the first attacks on opposition members. Nevertheless, no culprits or initiators of those crimes have been found or brought to justice. I would like the Kazakh ambassador, who is present here today, tell us about this in more detail.

In newspaper articles and even some academic papers, the Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan – are sometimes collectively called the "stans", which emphasizes their common geographic position and features in their political systems. They even forecast a similar future for them: dictatorship for many years, tight ruling families' control of the economy, and pervasive corruption.

We, Kazakh politicians, can's agree with this opinion. Each Central Asian country has its own historic destiny. We strive to offer Kazakhstan a common European future, not only declaratively but in practice. We would like to live by the European democratic standards, have a European-level health care, education, and social security.

We reject the dictators' model of a long transition to democracy. President Nazarbayev assures us that Kazakh people are not ready to elect governors and mayors, and the freedom of speech will result in anarchy. This is a lie. The people are ready, it is the President who is not ready to give up power.

Even from a geographical point of view, part of Kazakhstan is located in Europe. Its ethnic composition is quite unique: ethnic Kazakhs and non-Kazakh population represent almost equal groups in size. The second half is represented by Russians, Ukrainians, other Slavic ethnic groups, Germans, Poles, and Koreans. There has never been muslim fundamentalism in Kazakhstan; Islam and Christianity have peacefully coexisted in our culture. For centuries, Kazakhstan was part of Russia. Through the Russian language, our people have studied the European culture, knowledge, and technologies. This choice was not forced on our predecessors, they made it on purpose. Today, we have deliberately chosen to be part of the European family too.

Kazakh democratic opposition welcomes the idea of participation in all European institutions. However, we would like to join them as equal partners, not as poor relatives. That's why we ask the European governments and politicians to further urge President Nazarbayev to meet the commitments that Kazakhstan has freely accepted as a member of the European bodies.

Does Kazakhstan membership of the OSCE comply with rigged elections and barring opposition members from race in Kazakhstan? I was banned from running in the presidential and parliamentary elections. OSCE and other international organizations criticized the presidential and parliamentary elections as unfair and falling far short of the democratic standards.

Kazakh television and radio channels in Kazakhstan are either controlled by the government, or owned by the President's family members. His daughter simultaneously serves as general director of a state-run television and radio company, and, together with her husband, owns almost all the remaining electronic media outlets. Access to independent web sites has been denied by the state-controlled telecommunications companies. No wonder, international journalist groups have named Nazarbayev an "enemy of the press".

The Forum of Democratic Forces once demanded that the state-run television companies provide opposition at least an hour's airtime a week. The project was called a "Democracy Hour". However, the opposition has been given not a minute's airtime.

Governors, mayors, and heads of local administrations are appointed and fired by the president. The same goes for judges. There is no Constitutional Court in Kazakhstan. The President closed it down because it would have prevented him from prolonging his tenure indefinitely and from rewriting the Constitution.

I do not intend to endlessly list here the Nazarbayev regime crimes against its own citizens. These facts have been covered in the press, analyzed by the OSCE and other institutions in their documents. We are giving you a file which could be a dozen times as thick in the hope that the Commission on Central Asia, the Commission on Foreign Affairs, European commissions, and the appropriate EU commissioners would get a clear idea of the regime they have to deal with.

Kazakhstan is rich not only in oil. Its primary wealth is the warm hearts of its people. We urge you to help these people gain their rights and freedom. They will become your most faithful friends then. A democratic, market-oriented Kazakhstan will enter the United Europe not as a poor relative, but as a solid partner. Together with Russia, it could save Europe from the energy crises nightmare.

When this April I met the Council of Europe Secretary General Mr. Walter Schwimmer, heads of the committees and parliamentary groups of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, we reiterated our position. Kazakhstan could become a member of the Council of Europe, but it's necessary to set conditions for President Nazarbayev and control the way he meets them. Fair elections, free press, the right to participate in political life, demonstrations and assemblies – these are the conditions that could help the democratic forces fight for freedoms and rights inside Kazakhstan.

We attach great significance to cooperation between the European and Kazakh Parliaments. However, its vital to ensure that it does not turn into a formality, formal meetings during which the burning issues are not raised at all. We call on you, please, raise with all seriousness the questions of human rights, independence of the judiciary, free press, and political activities. You should do this publicly and inform Kazakh citizens of the contents of your talks. Ordinary people closely follow your words and your deeds.

Please, remember Kazakh authorities use every contacts with you as a proof of the EU support for the Nazarbayev regime. The government propaganda does not hesitate to convince people that Europe and U.S. would close their eyes to any human rights abuses in exchange for Caspian oil. The official and propresidential media outlets have not utter a world about a harsh EU statement of May 29. "Oil is dearer than blood", this is what the government propaganda attempts to bring home to Kazakh citizens in order to kill their hopes.

We are positive that to succeed in public diplomacy, the European Union should have its own media outlets, which will give European values to the peoples living under the authoritarian regimes. They need a word of truth even more than bread.

If in the early 90's a full-scale station had been set up to broadcast 24 hours a day in the then Serb-Croatian language for all Yugoslav regions, the international troops would hardly have had to step in and stop the fighting. A broadcasting station is much cheaper that a military operation. We should bear in mind how many human lives could have been saved then.

Two years ago, the U.S. government announced through its Secretary of State Madlene Albright about the opening of a U.S. printing house in Almaty, which could publish independent papers. Washington failed to get its decision realized. So far, printing houses and editorial offices have been burnt all over Kazakhstan. We intend to bring up this question at a Congressional hearing shortly.

Kazakh opposition forces does not ask the West of the protectorate. We realize that nobody would come to plant law and order in Kazakhstan. This is our historic task, our responsibility to our children and grandchildren. We just ask you of a principled and consistent position. Do not apply double standards, do not set moral standards for dictators lower than they should be. Unfortunately, this has happened very often.

Corruption is an international phenomenon. In democratic society, a corrupt official cannot remain on the political stage and even receive governmental awards. In Kazakhstan, it has become a widespread practice. For many years, the U.S. authorities have been conducting criminal investigations into the bribes that the transnational oil companies had to pay Kazakh high-level officials to produce oil. On request of judicial agencies those funds have been blocked. In my country this scandal is called now a "Kazakhgate".

Under the pressure from opposition the government recently had to admit to yet another secret fund where over $1bln on Nursultan Nazarbayev's personal accounts was stowed away from Kazakh parliament and the national purse. This constitutes a half of the government budget of those years when the transfers were made.

Kazakh public has turned to U.S. and Swiss law-enforcement authorities with written requests to ensure the safety and return of those funds to the people of Kazakhstan instead of the Nazarbayev government. Total dictatorship leads to total irresponsibility and corruption. Any funds could be embezzled by a small group of people. With bitterness we look at the Nigeria experience and realize that, under Nazarbayev, our country could become a repetition.

Kazakh public has also established a special organization called the People's Oil Fund. It's task is to oversee the flows of oil and gas revenues due to our country. This fund forwards letters to oil companies, including European ones, such as the Italian ENI, British BP, etc. Citizens ask to advise them how many millions have been paid for the right to develop our national mineral resources and whom they were paid to. No direct answers have been received so far .We would appreciate if you help unveil those "secrets".

We would also like to ask Europe to carefully follow the routes of the stolen funds and do all in your power to ensure that they are not embezzled. Our corrupt officials buy luxurious villas in your countries. Their children leave here millions of dollars in the casinos. Do not hush it up, do speak out against them as harshly as you would speak out against your own criminals!

Any dictators, not only Central Asian, attempt to use foreign policy contradictions among the EU member states to their benefit. "Presidents for life" attempt to lure the elected democratic governments by means of contracts and privileges for their national companies. Sometimes, they do succeed in this. It's impossible to give a different explanation as to why President Nazarbayev, involved in graft investigations and being an "enemy of the press", has been receiving awards from your presidents and monarchs. Does it not resemble the colonial practice of giving awards to tribal chiefs for their loyalty and assistance in robbing their own people?

Delegations of my party – the Republican People's Party – and the Forum of Democratic Forces have had meetings in the British Parliament, French and Italian Parliaments, German Bundestag. Many parliaments and politicians have taken a stand on our side. Nevertheless, we also hope for a single EU foreign policy. If the EU members states, including France, Italy, and Germany, have succeeded in establishing a single standard of vine, how could you possibly disagree on a standard of democracy? Do not fear accusation of interfering in someone's internal affairs, do not believe the dictators' tales about national special features. Only dictatorship has special features, democratic principles are universal.

We have been closely following the efforts by Javier Salana and other EU politicians aimed at a single approach in the Middle East. We find the EU requirement of governmental reform in Palestinian autonomy for Chairman Arafat quite fair. You should state similar conditions to Central Asian dictators. Accroachment, control of the judiciary, propaganda outrage, corruption, and nepotism are also problems here.

Dear Members of the European Parliament! After the September 11 attacks, everybody has realized that borders that separate countries and continents are futile in the face of a terrorist threat. We live in the region where this threat is ever-present. Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan are the neighboring states. Each of these countries has seen more or less serious fighting, each of them has lost people.

Kazakhstan remains peaceful. It's not, however, because its regime is better than those in the neighboring countries, it's because the country has got a mature democratic opposition, which unites people not under the military banners, but peaceful meetings and fair elections. Our intention is to print newspapers, not leaflets. Our aim is a secular and social state. We urge you to assist us in working towards this aim, and Europe will get a new nation, a new culture. Europe will acquire millions of square kilometers of very rich land.

Thank you for the attention. I am ready to answer all your questions. I ask you to give the floor to Yermurat Bapi, a journalist and public figure, who lives in Kazakhstan.