On 5 May 2021, the first prosecutor of Pavlodar region, Kusainov Zharkyn Kuanyshevich, drew up a new indictment against human rights activist from the “BostandyQ Kz” movement, Zhanat Zhamaliyev. Zhanat Zhamaliyev has been in the pre-trial detention facility for almost 6 months now, while being prosecuted in a trumped-up and politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 2 ("participation in an extremist organisation"). "Grounds” for prosecution of Zhanat Zhamaliyev:
1) Zhanat Zhamaliyev has repeatedly been prosecuted under the politically motivated administrative Article 488 ("violation of the Law on Peaceful Assemblies").
2) On 21 April 2020, Zhanat Zhamaliyev reposted on Facebook a publication by Zhanara Akhmetova (former coordinator of the "DCK" headquarters in Kyiv) about the new "DCK" project.
3) On 14 June 2020, he shared on Facebook a publication that he and activists from the city of Ekibastuz participated in a "subbotage" (an evening celebration organised by the "DCK").
4) On 13 July 2020, he shared on Facebook a post by opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov calling for participation in protests and thus change the Nazarbayev regime.
5) On 23 July 2020, Zhanat Zhamaliyev sent an audio message on Telegram about the need to unite and that his goal is to change the regime.
6) On 29 July 2020, he shared on Facebook a post by opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov with the invitation to participate in Asar, a humanitarian aid campaign with the aim to help building a house for the family of a murdered Dulat Agadil in Talapker village.
7) On 28 August 2020, he published a Facebook post about a planned “DCK” rally.
8) On 18 September 2020, Zhanat Zhamaliyev sent a message on Telegram to Mukhtar Ablyazov that the "DCK" would come to power in Kazakhstan, that he (Zhanat Zhamaliyev) was a supporter of the "DCK". He also sent Mukhtar Ablyazov a video of the protest in Ekibastuz and suggested that Mukhtar Ablyazov write a programme for the development of the organisation in Ekibastuz in order to distribute leaflets among the local population.
9) 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 to document human rights violations during the peaceful protest on 25 September 2020.
10) On 7 October 2020, Zhanat Zhamaliyev shared in a Telegram chat the publication of the information channel "1612 INFO" about the upcoming subbotage (evening marches).
Thus, Zhanat Zhamaliyev is being prosecuted on political grounds for his participation in peaceful protests, his call to participate in Asar - a humanitarian aid campaign with the aim to help building a house for the family of a murdered Dulat Agadil, peaceful human rights activities, communication with Lyudmyla Kozlovska, communication with Mukhtar Ablyazov, reposting of "DCK" post. The name of the human rights movement "BostandyQ Kz" is mentioned in the European Parliament resolution on the human rights situation in Kazakhstan of 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)*
