The Council of Europe Discusses the Activities of Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Mechanisms

Strasbourg, January 22-24, 2025 – The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan Artur Lastaev paid a working visit to the Headquarters of the Council of Europe. During the visit A.Lastaev held meetings with the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Bjørn Berge; Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights Ivana Jelić; Director of Human Rights Clare Ovey; and Secretary of the Venice Commission Simona Granata-Menghini.

Additionally, A.Lastaev participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives of the diplomatic corps, experts, and officials from the Council of Europe.

At the meeting with the Kazakh delegation, Deputy Secretary General B.Berge emphasized Kazakhstan's role as an "important partner" of the Council of Europe and noted the successful implementation of various bilateral and regional projects. B.Berge highlighted the critical role of the Ombudsman institution in Kazakhstan’s national human rights mechanisms and expressed readiness to support the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (CHR).

The main topic of discussion at the European Court of Human Rights centered on the activities of Kazakhstan’s Ombudsman’s office, its mandate, mechanisms for protecting citizens' rights, and the criteria for the admissibility of complaints to the ECHR.

Special attention was given to issues related to citizens’ appeals to international judicial bodies. Representatives of the ECHR clarified key aspects of the criteria for admissibility of complaints, stressing the importance of exhausting all national legal remedies before appealing to the ECHR.

During negotiations with C.Ovey, the Director of Human Rights, the parties discussed the activities of the CHR and its office. European experts expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Ombudsman’s office in implementing bilateral projects.

Representatives of the Venice Commission expressed a desire to establish practical collaboration with the Ombudsman’s office, sharing information about their expertise and potential for working with ombudsman institutions in other countries.

In this context, the Venice Commission expressed its readiness to establish direct cooperation and provide any expert and consultative assistance to support the independence and effectiveness of the CHR office’s work.