Human Rights in Kazakhstan, issues 17-18 (excerpts)
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Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000 15:29:50 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Human Rights in Kazakhstan, issues 17-18 (excerpts)
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Marat Khassanov <[email protected]>
Human Rights in Kazakhstan, issues 17-18 (excerpts)
Dear colleagues,
Starting with February 2000, Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human
Rights and Rule of Law has published 18 issues of the Informational
Newsletter "HUMAN RIGHTS IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ALL OVER THE WORLD". Every
issue contains information in Russian (on all of the Central Asian
states) and in English (on Kazakhstan). In partnership with Institute
on War and Peace Reporting KIBHR also started publishing a printed
version of informational newsletter in Russian and Kazakh languages.
However, some of the subscribers of the electronic version of the
newsletter told us that they never received a number of issues. As we
usually send the newsletter to all of the addresses we have, there is
a definite need to follow up these complaints.
In connection with this, we kindly ask you to inform us whether you
have received all 18 of the issues of the electronic version.
Sincerely,
Sergey Duvanov, Editor of the newsletter
Yevgeni Zhovtis, Director of KIBHR
INFORMATION NEWSLETTER
OF KAZAKHSTAN INTERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW
"HUMAN RIGHTS IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ALL OVER THE WORLD"
N 17 (October 1-15, 2000)
CONTENTS
Kazakhstan:
* Ukraine and Kazakhstan: two views on freedom of expression
* Decision of the Supreme Court of Republic of Kazakhstan is not
enforced
* Address of the Association of Disabled of Kazakhstan
* Prosecution did not come up to expectations
* Accord between religious confessions contributes to peace
* NGO helps the homeless
* Baptists told to stop activity until they are registered
* New charges brought against newspaper
............
ACCORD BETWEEN RELIGIOUS CONFESSIONS CONTRIBUTES TO PEACE
"KODA" Information Agency
First religious international conference took place in Almaty was
designed to be a first stage of open dialogue between different
religions. According to sponsors of the conference such dialogue
shall contribute to stability and security in the period of global and
regional conflicts that in a number of cases have a religious
character to them. Participants have univocally supported the idea of
creation of integral informational and discussion space between and
inside confessions. The result of the conference was the Almaty
Declaration "Dialogue of Confessions - Demand of Times" that urges
religious leaders to "adopt constructive mechanisms of tolerance
towards different religious contradictions and procedures that would
exclude violent conflicts and religious tensions".
............
BAPTISTS TOLD TO STOP ACTIVITY UNTIL THEY ARE REGISTERED
A Baptist church near Astana must "stop its activity" until the
government registers it, officials have said. Local officials and a
judge insist that churches must register to function, although Kazakh
law does not require this and Kazakhstan's international human rights
commitments do not allow it to impose such a restriction on religious
activity. (Keston News Service, 6 October)
............
INFORMATION NEWSLETTER
OF KAZAKHSTAN INTERNATIONAL BUREAU FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW
"HUMAN RIGHTS IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ALL OVER THE WORLD"
N 18 (October 16-23, 2000)
CONTENTS
Kazakhstan:
Kazakhstan:
* Three men are sentenced to death for murder of one man.
* Kazakh courts are ready for more political trials
* Migration police is ready to send a man to death
* Operation "Migrant": who is next to be deported?
* Give me a Right to Life
............
MIGRATION POLICE IS READY TO SEND A MAN TO DEATH
Mohamad Yunus is a citizen of Afghanistan. His father and his brothers
were murdered, Mohamad miraculously survived several attempts on him
and fled the country. He came to Kazakhstan and wishing to make his
stay legitimate addressed the Agency on Migration asking for refugee
status.
Despite the absence of any well-grounded reasons for refusal Mohamad
was denied a refugee status. According to Kazakh legislation the on
reason why person can not be denied refugee status is if he/she
"committed a crime against peace, humanity or any other premeditated
criminal offence". On the basis of Law provisions Mohamad Yunus has a
right to be granted asylum.
As Mohamad was detained three times and out in the specialized
reception center, he was not able to appeal court's decision in time.
As soon as he was released from the reception center he was given a
written order to leave the country. According to legislation he
should be extradited to country where he came from - Afghanistan.
However, it is clear that as soon as he returns to Afghanistan Taliban
supporters will kill him. Mohamad addressed the UNHCR that appealed
Directorate of Migration. However, this appeal was also denied. Then
Mohamad Yunus filed a complaint against the staff of Directorate. When
Mohamad came to court on 13th October, he saw a migration police
officer who was waiting to arrest him. Mohamad fled to the UN
mission's building, where he took refuge in one of the UNHCR staff
offices. The migration police officer who followed the fugitive
stormed the UN mission's building. Security and UNHCR staff prevented
him from detaining Mohamad, but policemen called in support team and
demanded that UNHCR will deliver the fugitive up. After an unequivocal
refusal policemen left the building and at the present moment Mohamad
Yunus is hiding from Kazakh migration agencies that are just too
willing to extradite him to his country where mojaheads will not
hesitate in murdering him.
The refugee issue in Kazakhstan has acquired new dimensions lately.
Migration service increasingly groundlessly denies grounds
registration and refugee status to Afghan, Tajikistan, Chechnya, China
and Uzbekistan citizens.
............
OPERATION "MIGRANT": WHO IS NEXT TO BE DEPORTED?
Almaty police is becoming very active in extraditing Tajiks who live
in Almaty on temporary registration basis.
N. Sadreddin trades at Almaty Central bazaar for more than ten years.
He usually obtains a temporary registration (for 45 days) and sells
his goods. This is the way it has been until now.
Last week policemen detained him and his Tajik colleagues and tore up
their temporary registration certificates. Two days after the incident
they were detained once again and as they could not present
registration documents, police detained them, took their passports and
put them in specialized reception center. It was ruled that they
violated rules of stay at the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan
and should leave the country immediately. Specialized stamp was put in
their passports. This way police made to leave majority of Tajik
tradesmen. Many of them left Kazakhstan already. The rest are trying
to sell the remaining goods and pay policemen an unofficial "staying
fee". According to the information from our sources, first row
candidates for deportation include some citizens of Uzbekistan and
Chinese Uigurs.
Tajik that come to Kazakhstan now have difficulty in obtaining their
temporary registration certificates.
It is widely known, that law-enforcement agencies for some time now
are implementing operation "Migrant". Information received from our
police sources shows that operation "Migrant" most probably is used by
policemen in order to implement the unofficial order from authorities
to deport citizens of countries where there are signs of Islamic and
other types of religious extremism. This operation obviously bears a
political character and in a certain way it should be regarded as a
sort of ethnic cleansing conducted by Kazakh authorities scared of
wahhabi influence. There is no need to explain that these actions
violate both basic human rights and Kazakhstan legislation. This is
why the scheme that policemen employ to deport the "unwanted" nations
includes actions that are hard to prove such as illegal removal of
temporary registration certificates from foreign citizens
incriminating them with violation of country's legislation. The
refusal to issue new temporary registration certificates is also
illegal.
Once again authorities show that for them political expedience is
above the law.
............
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