20 years of the Bureau for human rights: we have endured

Kazakhstan. Anniversary - 20 years (2013-7-10) Honoring. Kazakhstan International bureau for human rights and rule of law:

The Bureau marks its twentieth anniversary in a very difficult situation when opportunities for human rights activists to affect the situation are reduced to zero.



"This day 20 years ago, in summer of 1993 a group of enthusiasts has established a human rights organization, which was dealing with a new, for that period of time, challenge – protection of human rights. --- Twenty years – is it too much or too little?  From historical standpoint it is very little, but it is a lot considering that Bureau is only two years younger than our state.--- Today, when looking back at the journey we made, we feel proud and satisfied that we have never betrayed any of our principles, never abandoned our believes. ---  The Bureau marks its twentieth anniversary in a very difficult situation when opportunities for human rights activists to affect the situation are reduced to zero.--- From the very beginning the main vector of our activity was respect for political rights and civil freedoms.  Those were, first of all, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom to receive and disseminate information, freedom of conscience, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, right to freedom of movement, right to fair trial, and most importantly right to take part in governing the country, right to responsible and accountable power.  All of the above mentioned are crucial conditions for unlimited enjoyment of other rights: economic, social and cultural.  We are convinced that respect for the mentioned above political and civil rights is a safeguard of a civilized engagement between the citizens and the state and should therefore lead to discontinuation of systemic human rights violations.  This is exactly why the Bureau was emphasizing in its activities the promotion, protection and respect for fundamental political and civil rights of our citizens.  We are believe in this and we have been making a stand for this for all these years."

Kazakhstan International bureau for human rights and rule of law: (read the whole text)
http://www.bureau.kz/data.php?page=&n_id=6049&l=en

Kazakhstan's first list of political prisoners
http://www.bureau.kz/data.php?page=0&n_id=5996&l=en
The first list of political prisoners includes:



Aaron Atabek - sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment in 2006.

Vladimir Kozlov - sentenced to 7.5 years’ imprisonment in 2012.

RozaTuletayeva - sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment in 2012.

MaksatDosmagambetov - sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment in 2012.

Vadim Kuramshin - sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment in 2012.

Aleksandr Kharlamov – currently in custody, awaiting trial.

Vadim Kuramshin – a civil rights activist, who defended the rights of prisoners and made public  instances of ill-treatment and torture of prisoners carried out by prison staff and police officers,collected and disseminated information on corruption and extortion in prisons, police forces, national security bodies and the prosecutor's office with some of the information causing a serious public outcry. Hearings in the case of Vadim Kuramshin were conducted under numerous violations, including those involving a court-appointed attorney, who did not have the trust of Kuramshin. In August 2012, he was released from custody having been acquitted in his criminal case by a jury; however, after his public speech at a Supplementary Public Dimension Meeting of the OSCE in Warsaw he was rearrested, and the jury’s verdict was overturned. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.



Foto: KL