Dozens of political prisoners are arrested in Kazakhstan. Who are they?
Sultan Han Akkulyuly
Their number is varied from the unit till the hundred. Authorities tried to create a camp for them by the Guantanamo example but it wasn’t. Lawyers of the Kazakhstan, Russia and Kazakh refugee in Czech Republic witnessed about it.
Vitaliy Ponomarev - a director of human rights society “Memorial” of Central Asian programme in Moscow says in interview to radio Azattyk that there are a lot of people from religious communities who are resided in prisons by forged trumped-up accusations.
He called one name Adilzhan Muzdybaev - a director of one religious community in Aktau city.
One of the Kazakh refugees in Czech Republic Kairat Dosmetov complemented Vitaliy Ponomarev having said “several peoples’” concrete names. And all are form West Kazakhstan.
President of press defensive fund “Journalists in trouble” Rozlana Taukina is sure that in Kazakhstan political prison mates are more than that. “There are for about hundred convicted people for religious beliefs, - she supposed”.
As she explained in Kazakhstan there are a lot of political prisoners are convicted under the criminal articles without any connection with religious.
More concrete numeral was brought by Ninel Fokina - the chairman of Kazakhstan Helsinki Committee. She is tracing persecution events about state religious motives. According to the words of Ninel Fokina, in the Criminal Codex there are only two articles which qualified any religious actions as crime.
“They are: article # 164 “Institution of generic, tribal and national-religious differences” and the article 337 “Participation in prohibited religious organizations”.
By her certificate, for past years the tactics of authority has changed. Now to the representatives of Islam organizations and communities presented accusations on training of terrorist acts.
There were for about three such kinds of processes (they stopped in the beginning of past year) immediately for 54 people. They were in Shymkent, Stepnogorsk and Karaganda. As all proceedings of religious organizations criminal deals are headed by the Committee of National Security. All deals. Not the Public prosecutor’s office. Two of these proceedings were closed.
Apropos, as soon as the National security committee declared that the deal is connected with the national security the judicial proceeding and the board of inquiry is being closed. For relatives, attorneys and public an access is becoming closed too.
According to the words of Moscow lawyer Vitaliy Ponomarev, in Kazakhstan especially in West regions – Mangystau, Atyrau and Aktyubinsk the practice of tossing different proofs, especially narcotics is spread broadly. Particularly along the representatives’ deals as so called untraditional religious communities.
By the words of both Vitaliy Ponomarev and Rozlana Taukina, in Kazakhstan has spread one more dangerous practice, where under the different pretexts they started to prolong the prison time for followers of Islam currents. That is to say that they use the methods which are used in Uzbekistan.
Moreover, they do it in respect of people who are not going to refuse from their religious glances and beliefs.
For example, Muzdybaev in the 7th of June in 2005 he was sentenced for 5 years of conclusion for the first time, and being in colony on October 17th 2006 was condemned to 3, 5 years of imprisonment with punishment serving in a colony of a strict regime.
Temirbek Koptleulov by the forged trumped-up criminal deal was convicted to 1,5 years in 2007. His punishment time he left in Petropavlovsk colony and in May 2009 he should had be free. However, his prison term was prolonged for one more year.
In both events, for prolonging the punishment time was used the standard accusation “Fraudulent disobedience of legal requirements of criminal executive building administration. “
In interview for radio Azattyk Kairat Dosmetov told about the circulation on torments, more exactly about circulation in prison of Adilzhan Muzdybaev - religious community’s leader in Aktau city.
“Muzdybaev was sent to the special camp. He made a noise immediately. He called to Ponomarev, Zhovtis, Fokina and all had quiet down. And he was removed to the Almaty immediately. According to his story they prepared special camp, as Guantanamo. Moreover, for people who convicted under the religious motives. And when the attorneys made a noise they answered that it was some kind of experiment, in the words of Vitaliy Ponomarev.”
This, so called experimental camp is separated in Zhetykara in Kostanai region. And one time there were gathered all convicted people for religious glances from different currents”.
Now Adilzhan Muzdybaev spends time in Almaty colony of strict regime.
Ninel Fokina had confirmed information of Kairat Dosmetov. According to her words it was an initiative by the Committee of criminal executive system (CCES) of Ministry of Justice.
In the general opinion of Kazakhstan lawyers to prison mates convicted on religious motives, are used cruel measures and tortures also. In particular they are not able to read namaz. Or for example during the praying sitting in a lap members of the colony rush into a premise beat and kick the prisoners.
Herewith, they accompanied their actions by obscene abuse, insulting their human and religious dignity; they don’t let them make other religious rites obligated under the Koran, says lawyers.
Furthermore, they know that these kinds of people don’t eat pork meat and they add this meat to the dinner and supper. That is to say, against prisoners are used cruel methods of influence. For example, they often place them in single camera – punishment cell.
And the last purpose of all these measures is one – make them to refuse from their religious glances. Otherwise, prisoners are not able to set free and their time prolonging even after their time is come. Their time of punishment is prolonging under the different pretexts.
The source:Radio “Azattyk”, 2009, July 7th
http://rus.azattyq.org/content/politicheskie_uzniki_v_Kazakhstane/1771353.html