PDF《Kazakhstan》

Kazakhstan Country Reports on Human Rights Practices -

2007 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 11,

2008 The Republic of Kazakhstan, with a population of approximately 15.

3 million, has a parliamentary system dominated by President Nazarbayev'

s Nur Otan Party. According to official results, Nur Otan received

88 percent of the vote in the August

18 national elections for the lower house of parliament, winning every seat in the chamber. Local and international observers noted some improvements in the electoral process over past national elections but criticized the elections as falling short of a number of international standards, particularly with respect to the legislative framework and the integrity of the vote counting and tabulation process. The constitution concentrates power in the presidency, permitting the president to control regional and local governments and to exercise significant influence over the legislature and judiciary. Changes or amendments to the constitution require presidential consent. The civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces. There were the following human rights problems: severe limits on citizens'

rights to change their government;

military hazing that led to deaths;

detainee and prisoner abuse;

unhealthy prison conditions;

arbitrary arrest and detention;

lack of an independent judiciary;

restrictions on freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and association;

pervasive corruption, especially in law enforcement and the judicial system;

prohibitive political party registration requirements;

restrictions on the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs);

discrimination and violence against women;

trafficking in persons;

and societal discrimination. RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Section

1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom From: a. Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life In contrast with the previous year, there were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. On June 12, a review panel of the Supreme Court rejected an initiative by the victim'

s families to reopen the investigation into the February

2006 death of opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly and two of his associates. Following an investigation and trial in 2006, the government convicted

10 suspects of the kidnappings and deaths, including five officers of an elite squad of the Committee for National Security (KNB). The Supreme Court upheld the convictions and prison sentences in December 2006. Opposition leaders charged that the killing was politically motivated and sharply criticized the conduct of the investigation and the legal proceedings. The evidence strongly indicated the involvement of all those charged, but the court failed to investigate thoroughly signs that other parties and high-level government officials may have been involved in instigating or ordering the killings. Military hazing was a problem that led to deaths, suicides and serious injuries. The government reported

11 suicides within the military in the first

11 months of the year. On January 19, two soldiers from an artillery unit in the Gvardeisky settlement in the Zhambyl region beat several younger conscripts. Authorities hospitalized seven conscripts with serious injuries, and conscript Dostan Baisildayev died from his injuries. A court sentenced the attackers to prison for seven years. On September 17, Pavlodar-based 19-year-old military conscript Bek Bashirov died after being hospitalized with severe head injuries and brain damage. Upon investigation, authorities charged an older soldier with beating Bashirov;