Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the request by Human Rights Watch concerning the “Tragic January” events

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the request by Human Rights Watch concerning the “Tragic January” events

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan has received a letter from the international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) with information on cases of excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies during the January events in Kazakhstan. In addition, HRW has also published information about other abuses against detainees.

In this regard, we state the following.

The Republic of Kazakhstan condemns any possible cases of excessive use of force, unlawful detention, torture or ill-treatment of detainees.

President Tokayev has repeatedly stated that the investigation into the armed unrest must be impartial and conducted in line with the law. Firmly securing the rights of detainees and a fair legal process is indispensable.

The Head of State has called on the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure strict compliance with the Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibit use of torture or other ill-treatment, while conducting the investigation.

  All complaints of illegal detention and possible ill-treatment of detainees will be thoroughly investigated. A hotline has been set up to ensure citizens can receive relevant information and file complaints, including regarding actions of the law enforcement personnel. The investigating authorities verify all incoming information about violations. According to the data from the General Prosecutor’s Office, authorities have to date launched 98 criminal cases concerning complaints of the use of illegal methods of investigation and other violations of the rights of citizens.

The General Prosecutor’s Office and other state investigative bodies are ready and willing to thoroughly review each individual case raised by the public in Kazakhstan and internationally.

To monitor the protection of the rights of detained citizens, Human Rights Ombudsperson Elvira Azimova, as well as members of the National Preventive Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (NPM) and the National Council of Public Trust have been provided access to penitentiary system facilities.

According to current information, regional NPM teams have made 97 independent monitoring visits to 83 facilities in 16 regions of Kazakhstan. The Human Rights Ombudsperson has received 48 citizen complaints alleging violations of their human rights, which are currently under review. Furthermore, at the request of the regional NPM teams, the access of lawyers and civil medics to the detainees has been ensured.

Reputable civil society representatives, including human rights defenders and lawyers, have recently established public commissions to investigate the January events.

Kazakhstan remains committed to its human rights obligations and is open to dialogue and cooperation with international nongovernmental organizations. In particular, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Tileuberdi, has agreed to meet with the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth.

Finally, Kazakhstan continues to engage actively with UN human rights bodies and mechanisms.

 

February 3, 2022