On 5 May 2021, the first prosecutor of the Pavlodar region, Kusainov Zharkyn Kuanyshevich, drew up a new indictment against Daryn Khassenov. Daryn Khassenov has been in the pre-trial detention facility for almost 6 months already, while being investigated in a trumped-up and politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 2 ("participation in an extremist organisation"). "Grounds" for prosecution of Daryn Khassenov:
1) Daryn Khassenov was prosecuted under the politically motivated administrative Article 488 ("violation of the Law on Peaceful Assemblies").
2) On 13 June 2020, Daryn Khassenov wrote in the "KP Pavlodar headquarters" Telegram chat that he was going to participate in a subbotage (evening marches), and on 14 June he published a photo from the subbotage on Facebook.
3) On 6 July 2020, Daryn Khassenov published a Facebook post expressing his gratitude to “Koshe Partiyasy”, thanks to which he had met the activists.
4) On 7 July 2020, Daryn Khassenov wrote on Telegram that he demanded that Tokayev fulfil the demands of the "DCK".
5) On 7 July 2020, Daryn Khassenov discussed the protests on Telegram and expressed his readiness to go out to protest.
6) Daryn Khassenov was selling T-shirts via Telegram with the inscription: "You can't put everyone in jail".
7) On 23 September 2020, together with other activists, he took part in a Zoom-conference with the human rights defender Lyudmyla Kozlovska. They discussed how human rights violations should be recorded during the peaceful protest on 25 September 2020.
8) On 24 September 2020, Daryn Khassenov advised on "how to behave when detained at a rally" in the "Human Rights Ekibas Bayanaul" Telegram chat.
9) On 18 October 2020, Daryn Khassenov discussed preparing posters and banners for a peaceful protest in the "Human Rights Ekibas Bayanaul" Telegram chat.
Daryn Khassenov is being prosecuted on political grounds for his participation in peaceful protests, his participation in Asar - humanitarian aid campaign with the aim to help building a house for the family of the murdered human rights activist Dulat Agadil, for the peaceful human rights activities he carried out in the regions (Ekibastuz, Bayanaul) - teaching activists how to defend their rights, including during detentions at peaceful protests, as the prosecutor himself writes. The name of Daryn Khassenov and the human rights movement "BostandyQ Kz" are mentioned in the European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Kazakhstan dated 11 February 2021.
In its
resolution of 11 February 2021, the European Parliament has condemned the abuse of anti-extremism legislation by the Kazakhstani authorities to persecute supporters of the peaceful opposition movements “DCK” and “Koshe Partiyasy” and called on the Kazakhstani authorities "to drop politically motivated charges and end all forms of arbitrary detention, reprisals and harassment against human rights activists, religious organisations, civil society organisations, trade unions, journalists and political opposition movements".
We call on the US, the EU, the UK and Canada to impose personal sanctions on: the head of the National Security Committee, Karim Massimov; the General Prosecutor, Gizat Nurdauletov; and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerlan Turgumbayev.
DCK (Democratic Choice of Kazakhtstan opposition movement)*
KP (Koshe Partiyasy)*
