Human rights defenders in Kazakhstan are particularly active on legal and penal reform, social rights, freedom of expression, and ethnic minorities’ rights as well as democratisation. Unlike other central Asian countries, instances of direct targeting of critical media and influential NGOs are limited. Repression against human rights defenders often takes the form of economic and legislative obstacles, which are effective in hindering their work and more difficult to challenge.

In recent years the government further tightened control over independent media, NGOs and civil society, and initiated politically motivated lawsuits against its critics. Lawsuits have been brought in particular against media workers reporting on human rights issues. In late 2009, one of the key figures of the human rights movement and director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law was condemned to a four-year sentence, following a fatal car crash, in a trial that fell short of international standards as documented by domestic legal experts and international observers.

A new restrictive law on the Internet was passed in July 2009, despite numerous protests of national human rights organisations and the international community. Under the new regime, all websites including blogs, social networks, chatrooms and forums, are equated to traditional mass media and more stringent and burdensome regulation therefore applies. The law granted the authorities the right to block any local or foreign website for “violation of the national legislation”. The law also introduced new vaguely defined grounds for closure of media outlets. Several local and international websites, including popular blogging services, are inaccessible to most Kazakh Internet users.

URGENT CASES

Kazakhstan: Arrest and detention of labour rights defender Ms Roza Tuletaeva

Post date: 2012/01/16

Human rights defender Ms Roza Tuletaeva, one of the leaders of the workers' strike committee of the oil company 'Ozenmunaigaz', was arrested on 3 January 2012 at her home in Zhanaozen, Western Kazakhstan.

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