Written declaration No. 670 | Doc. 14820 | 24 January 2019

Assistance funds for the judiciary in Kazakhstan: need for an audit

Signatories: Mr Roberto RAMPI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Thorhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Ms Rósa Björk BRYNJÓLFSDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Lord George FOULKES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr André GATTOLIN, France, NR ; Mr Alan KELLY, Ireland, SOC ; Mr Miroslav NENUTIL, Czech Republic, SOC ; Mr Joseph O'REILLY, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Henk OVERBEEK, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Hişyar ÖZSOY, Turkey, UEL ; Mr Thomas PRINGLE, Ireland, UEL ; Lord Simon RUSSELL, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Ulla SANDBÆK, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Virendra SHARMA, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Ms Tineke STRIK, Netherlands, SOC ; Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Jiři VALENTA, Czech Republic, UEL ; Mr Mart van de VEN, Netherlands, ALDE

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

The law enforcement and justice system in Kazakhstan remains a tool to suppress dissent, despite the country’s authorities vigorous efforts to whitewash its image. Written declaration No. 663 called for the suspension of international assistance funds for Kazakhstan allocated to improve the state of its judiciary.

Since then, many politically persecuted persons have been imprisoned up to eight years: Ablovas Dzhumayev, Aset Abishev, Almat Zhumagulov, Kezhenbek Abishev, Iskander Yerimbetov, Dmitrii Pestov and Vasillina Sokolenko. Activist Aigul Akberdieva, mother of four minor children, faces the risk to be sentenced up to 10 years for a civic protest.

Kazakhstan has submitted its candidature to the United Nations Human Rights Council while completely ignoring 19 recommendations, in particular Mukhtar Dzhakishev, Maks Bokayev and Iskander Yerimbetov who were subjected to torture, ill-treatment, and denied medical care. We demand their full implementation and the release of all political prisoners.

In the light of a significant gap between official declarations and reports confronted with the actual situation, the Council of Europe and the European Union must initiate an audit of the funds granted to Kazakhstan within the framework of their support and development programmes. Ratification of international conventions on mutual legal assistance, extradition and others related with Kazakhstan, must be withheld.