Kazakhstan should move from declaration to action in implementing civil and political rights
Geneva, 15 July 2011 – Today, the UN Human Rights Committee completed its examination of the initial report submitted by the Kazakhstan on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“This is the first time that Kazakhstan has appeared before the Human Rights Committee and so this was the first opportunity for the Committee to assess the main challenges faced by this State Party in the implementation of the ICCPR” said Patrick Mutzenberg from the Centre for Civil and Political Rights, an NGO that follows ICCPR implementation worldwide.
A large coalition of NGOs actively participated in the review. They submitted a solid consolidated NGO report to the Committee, which covered several issues that were discussed during the dialogue between the Committee and the Kazakh Delegation.
NGOs documented numerous cases of torture and ill-treatment and revealed the lack of independent investigation of these incidents. In addition, the independence of the judiciary and lack of fair trial guarantees were raised in the NGO report and were extensively discussed.
The national NGOs also highlighted serious concerns relating to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of religion. “Intimidation and harassment of journalists and media who report critically on those in power, crackdowns on participants in peaceful anti-government protests and persecution of religious minorities are key concerns to which the Human Rights Committee should pay particular attention,” said Roza Akylbekova, Acting Director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR). “It should insist on the need for effective and comprehensive measures to address these problems.”
The Human Rights Committee will adopt its Recommendations, which will identify the measures needed to improve the implementation of the ICCPR, on the 31st of July 2011. The State Party is expected to submit a progress report on the follow-up to the review and the implementation of some of these recommendations by July 2012.
The webcast of the Human Rights Committee review of Kazakhstan and the NGO reports can be found on the Centre for Civil and Political Rights website: www.ccprcentre.org/en/home/24
For more information please contact:
Centre for Civil and Political Rights – Patrick Mutzenberg This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) - Roza Akylbekova This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
