On 5 May 2021, the first prosecutor of the Pavlodar province, Kusainov Zharkyn Kuanyshevich, drew up a new indictment against Kaliaskar Amrenov. Kaliaskar Amrenov is being held in the pre-trial detention facility 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 Kaliaskar Amrenov:
1) Kaliaskar Amrenov has been repeatedly prosecuted under the politically motivated administrative Article 488 ("violation of the law on peaceful assemblies").
2) On 13 June 2020, Kaliaskar Amrenov discussed the idea of going out to a Subbotage (evening walks) in the "KP Pavlodar Headquarters" Telegram-chat . The prosecutor writes that he discussed participation in a Subbotage in order to hold an allegedly unsanctioned rally. This is just a walk, not a rally.
3) On 10 July 2020, Kaliaskar Amrenov wrote a message in the "Group 14" Telegram-chat that 50 people should be recruited and go out to protest in Ekibastuz.
4) On 13 July 2020, he published a post on Facebook calling for a change of power and that all those agreeing to this confirm to go out to general peaceful protests.
5) On 15 July 2020, he published a Facebook post: "Nazarbayev, Tokayev! You don't have the brains, donkeys. Make room for M. K. Ablyazov, I demand it!".
6) On 16 July 2020, Kaliaskar Amrenov sent an audio message in a Telegram-chat urging people to go out to Subbotages, take family members with them and invite other people.
7) On 31 July 2020, he published a Facebook post that he was going to participate in Asar, a humanitarian aid campaign to help build a house for the family of the murdered Dulat Agadil in Talapker village, criticising the authorities.
8. 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.
9) On 24 September 2020, Kaliaskar Amrenov reposted on Facebook a publication by the “DCK” Headquarters calling for participation in protests on 25 September 2020.
Kaliaskar Amrenov is being prosecuted on political grounds for his participation in peaceful protests, planning to take part in Asar - a humanitarian aid campaign to help build a house for the family of the murdered Dulat Agadil, for communication with Lyudmyla Kozlovska.
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)*
