List of political persecution in connection with peaceful protests on 16 December 2021.

 
As of 21 December 2021, the human rights monitoring group “ActivistsNotExtremists” has recorded:
(*1 case = 1 person)
1) Preventive political persecution (in the period from 2 December to 15 December 2021): 37 cases in 15 cities and settlements, including 21 administrative arrests for allegedly "violating the law on peaceful assemblies")
2) Political persecution on 16 December 2021: 82 cases in 18 cities and settlements, of which 39 arbitrary detentions, including 3 members of the “OYAN Kazakhstan” (Oyan, Qazaqstan) movement.
- At least 2 people were illegally fined for allegedly "violating the law on peaceful assembly".
- Detentions of supporters of the “Democratic Party” are not reported, please send information in case there are any confirmed facts of persecution.
3) On 16 December 2021, the authorities of Kazakhstan have, on political grounds, issued 5 refusals to hold peaceful assemblies (twice - in Almaty, with reference to "quarantine", and 3 times - in Uralsk, with reference to holding other events in a place specified as a venue for holding peaceful assemblies) in response to notifications submitted by civil activists.
Please note that once again police officers used brute force when arbitrarily detaining 64-year-old Bibigul ZHOLAMANOVA (fell down during arbitrary, brutal detention), which resulted in a soft tissue contusion in the left knee joint area.
We appeal to the Commissioner for Human Rights Elvira AZIMOVA to respond publicly to these facts.
Note: The actions on 16 December 2021 were announced:
1) in Almaty: the movement "Democratic Party" - in order to commemorate the memory of peaceful people killed in Zhanaozen in 2011.
2) in Almaty: the movement "Oyan, Qazaqstan" - in order to commemorate the memory of peaceful people killed in Zhanaozen in 2011.
3) Kazakhstan-wide peaceful protests: the “Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan” movement with demands:
- The resignation of Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV and the entire government.
- Freedom for political prisoners.
During the EU-Kazakhstan Human Rights Dialogue, the EU emphasised the need to protect the right to peaceful assembly, including not to prosecute or detain peaceful protesters, including before peaceful protests (preventively).
We call on the US and the EU to demand that the Kazakhstani authorities immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, stop political persecution, and comply with their international human rights obligations, including the right to peaceful assembly.
We call on the US, the EU, the UK and Canada to impose personal sanctions on: Karim MASSIMOV, Head of the NSC; Gizat NURDAULETOV, General Prosecutor; and Yerlan TURGUMBAYEV, Minister of Internal Affairs.