EurasiaNet Civil Society - Tension Builds in Kazakhstan Over Condition of Jailed Opposition Figure

CIVIL SOCIETY

TENSION BUILDS IN KAZAKHSTAN OVER CONDITION OF JAILED OPPOSITION FIGURE

Aldar Kusainov 6/19/02

The continuing detention of a leading opponent of President Nursultan Nazarbayev is causing political tension to build in Kazakhstan. Opposition leaders complain that corruption charges faced by Galymzhan Zhakiyanov are politically motivated and they express concern about his declining health under government-supervised medical care. The government flatly rejects criticism over its handling of the case, and provides no indication that it will ease pressure on opposition political activists and mass media.

As he awaits trial on abuse-of-power charges, Zhakiyanov is being held under guard at a medical facility in the northern city of Pavlodar, where he formerly served as regional governor. At a June 19 news conference, several prominent Kazakhstani politicians said they were denied permission to see Zhakiyanov during a visit to Pavlodar a few days ago. However, Marzhan Aspandiarova of the Azamat party, citing unnamed sources, described Zhakiyanov’s condition as alarming.

Zhakiyanov is a leader of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement (DCK), which has rapidly developed into an influential opposition force. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Since his arrest in April, Zhakiyanov has reportedly been suffering from heart problems. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Aspandiarova suggested that doctors were administering unusually large doses of sedatives, which hindered his ability to prepare for his trial.

According to DCK officials, authorities have prevented Zhakiyanov from having contact with his regular doctor, who is based in Moscow. Officials also have declined to release any information related to Zhakiyanov’s health care. Aspandiarova suggested that doctors were administering unusually large doses of sedatives, which hindered his ability to prepare for his trial.

In mid June, the Ak Zhol (Bright Road) democratic party of Kazakhstan, citing the "a lack of reliable and accurate information" concerning Zhakiyanov’s health, appealed to Nazarbayev to intervene in the case. An Ak Zhol spokesman warned of "unpredictable consequences" if Zhakiyanov’s condition deteriorated further. In addition, the local office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a statement expressing concern about Zhakiyanov’s detention.

The Kazakhstani government angrily rejected the OSCE statement and insisted that Zhakiyanov’s civil rights were being protected. A Kazakhstani Foreign Ministry statement portrayed the OSCE complaint as "a delusion which misinforms society," Interfax-Kazakhstan reported June 15. The response indicates that the government is not prepared to make any concessions to the political opposition.

The DCK, which attracted many prominent entrepreneurs into its leadership ranks, emerged in late 2001 largely in response to moves by Nazarbayev’s political associates and family members to expand their own political and economic influence. In recent months, the DCK has exerted pressure on Nazarbayev to open up Kazakhstan’s political system. [See related EurasiaNet story]. However, the government’s position has seemed to harden in recent months.

In addition to the pending prosecution of Zhakiyanov, the government is proceeding with a criminal case against another DCK leader, Muhtar Abylazov, a former energy minister who was detained on abuse-of-power charges in March. Abylazov’s trial is now slated to begin June 24.

Independent journalists have also complained about government pressure. In late May the Solidarnost Union of Independent Journalists asserted that media outlets are subject to government harassment if they do not adhere to the official viewpoint. The journalists’ group specifically cited the firebombing of the offices of the independent newspaper Delovoye Obozreniye Respublika as an instance of government harassment. Another opposition newspaper Sol-Dat also lost computer equipment in a suspicious robbery in mid May. The newspaper’s editor, Ermurat Bapi, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he believed the theft was politically motivated.

Editor�s Note: Aldar Kusainov is a Central Asia-based reporter who employs a pseudonym out of fear of government reprisals.

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