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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kazakhstan Should Release Political Prisoner Mukhtar Dzhakishev to Demonstrate that the International Commitments of the Country are Respected and Upheld

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Washington - September 10, 2019 — Ahead of the court hearing on Mukhtar Dzhakishev’s parole scheduled for September 10 in Oskemen Oblast City Court, Freedom House issued the following statement:

“Should the court rule to keep Mukhtar Dzhakishev in custody, despite the 2015 UN Human Rights Committee request to ‘quash the conviction and release him,’ Kazakhstan undermines its international commitments to secure the rule of law and defend human rights in the country,” said Marc Behrendt, director for Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House. “As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Kazakhstan is obligated to uphold, among other rights, the right to liberty and a fair trial, and to provide an effective remedy when violations occur. We call on Kazakhstan to release Mukhtar Dzhakishev immediately to demonstrate that the international commitments of the country are respected and upheld.”

Background:

In March 2010, Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the former head of the atomic energy agency Kazatomprom, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on embezzlement charges, which many human rights organizations regard as politically motivated. In 2015, the UN Human Rights Committee, in response to a complaint lodged by Dzhakishev, issued Communication No. 2304/2013

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, which recognized that Dzhakishev’s rights had been violated, and urged Kazakhstan to immediately release him from prison. However, Dzhakishev remains behind bars to this day. Prior to the rejection of Dzhakishev’s appeal, a court in Semey dismissed his petition for parole on July 24, 2019. The hearing for the appeal of the July 23 decision will take place on September 10, 2019.

Kazakhstan is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2019

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and Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2018

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Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

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