Interpol Drops Arrest Warrant Against Kazakhstani Opposition Leader

The international law enforcement agency Interpol has dropped an arrest warrant against Akezhan Kazhegeldin, a leading opponent of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev, after deciding the available evidence did not support the charges against him and were politically motivated.

In a June 11 letter to Kazhegeldin's lawyers, Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the agency has deleted the arrest order, or "Red Notice" from its files, and had notified member countries of its decision. Noble wrote that the decision was based on Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution, under which "it is strictly forbidden for the organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character."

Kazhegeldin's lawyers hailed the ruling as a significant political victory for Kazakhstan's increasingly harried opposition. "The importance of this action cannot be overstated," wrote Charles Both of the law firm Yablonski, Both & Edelman in a letter to EurasiaNet dated June 16.

"The illegal misuse of Interpol to harass exiled political opponents [of Nazarbayev] cannot be tolerated," Both continued. "It is therefore most significant that the secretary general has now determined that the Kazakh activities violated Article 3 and that they will be precluded from continuing to misuse the process."

Kazhegeldin served as Kazakhstani prime minister from 1994-97. Since then he has lived abroad. In late 1998, he formed the Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan, which has sought Nazarbayev's ouster. Soon thereafter, Kazakhstani taxation authorities began investigating Kazhegeldin for suspected violations.

In September 1999, Kazhegeldin was detained on an Interpol warrant at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on tax evasion and corruption-related charges. Moscow authorities subsequently released Kazhegeldin. He was detained and released on the same charges a second time in Rome in July 2000. In both cases, Kazakhstani officials sought unsuccessfully for Kazhegeldin's extradition. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Noble noted in his Interpol letter that the Kazakhstani government can appeal his decision either to Interpol's Executive Committee of to the agency's General Assembly. Noble added that an individual Interpol member state with a bilateral extradition treaty with Kazakhstan could detain and send Kazhegeldin back to Almaty for trial, if it wishes to do so.

In recent months, the Kazakhstani government has aggressively cracked down on Nazarbayev's political opponents active within the country. On June 26, the trial of opposition leader and former energy minister Muhtar Abylyazov entered its third day. Abylyazov is facing abuse-of-power charges, which he vigorously denies. "I am tried here as a criminal, but the reasons why I am here are political," Abylyazov was quoted as saying June 25 by the Kazakhstan Today website. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Dozens of Abylyazov's supporters have complained that they were prevented from attending the trial, despite a government pledge that the hearing would be open to the public, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan Today also reported that prosecutors appear likely to try former Pavlodar governor Galymzhan Zhakiyanov on abuse of power charges. On June 21, prosecutors received evidence uncovered in an investigation that began in March with the intention of bringing "defendant Zhakiyanov before the court to determine his guilt," an Interior Ministry Investigation Department statement said.

On June 24, regional officials ousted a Zhakiyanov supporter, Telman Aytqazin, from his position as secretary of the Pavlodar City Council. Aytqazin, who remains as a regular city council member, said his ouster came in retribution for his unsuccessful attempt to place the issue of Zhakiyanov's confinement on the agenda of a City Council session, according to a RFERL report.