Written declaration No. 652 | Doc. 14493 | 25 January 2018

Kazakhstan has to fully comply with its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Signatories: Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Raivo AEG, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Werner AMON, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Piet De BRUYN, Belgium, NR ; Mr José CEPEDA, Spain, SOC ; Mr Paolo CORSINI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Stella CREASY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Susan Elan JONES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Josip JURATOVIC, Germany, SOC ; Mr Niklas KARLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Florian KRONBICHLER, Italy, SOC ; Ms Ana Catarina MENDES, Portugal, SOC ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Joseph O'REILLY, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Henk OVERBEEK, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Azadeh ROJHAN GUSTAFSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Virendra SHARMA, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Mr Damien THIÉRY, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Mart van de VEN, Netherlands, ALDE

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

Resolution 2193 (2017) on the relations of the Council of Europe with Kazakhstan stated that the United Nations Human Rights Committee, in its second periodic report, identified a number of matters of concern, especially with regard to torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, independence of the judiciary and the right to a fair trial. The call to stop political prosecution and tortures was raised in Written Declaration No. 638.

We regret to know that, since that time, the number of political prisoners has only grown. Currently, there are at least 35 cases of politically motivated prosecution in Kazakhstan. Talgat Ayan, Max Bokayev, Mukhtar Dzhakishev, Iskander Yerimbetov, Aron Atabek fell victims of lack of proper medical care. They need urgent hospitalisation but are subject to ill treatment and severe tortures instead.

We are particulary concerned by the case of lawyer Botagoz Jardemalie, granted political asylum in Belgium and persecuted by the Kazakhstani authorities which hold Iskander Yerimbetov, her brother, in custody and torture him in order to force her to give false testimony against the opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov.

We hereby call Kazakhstan to fully comply with its commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.