THE OMBUDSMAN'S APPEAL: MASS RIOTS TRIALS SHOULD BE OPEN

THE OMBUDSMAN'S APPEAL: MASS RIOTS TRIALS SHOULD BE OPEN

February 22, 2022 - Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan Elvira Azimova made an appeal to the media about the observance of human rights in connection with the January events.

The Commissioner stressed in her appeal:

- appeals about illegal investigative methods and human rights violations against detained and arrested citizens continue to be received;

- only a high-quality and comprehensive investigation will make it possible to exclude unfounded accusations;

- mass riots trials should be open;

- the relatives of the deceased citizens should be provided with maximum access to participate in trials;

- currently, the anti-corruption agency and special prosecutors are investigating 191 criminal cases of illegal investigative methods and human rights violations;

- it is advisable to complete the cases of the above category before the main judicial review on the merits of the charges;

- the law stipulates that evidence obtained with the use of torture is recognized as invalid;

- the arrested citizens, among whom there are 55 people with wounds of varying degrees, 8 people with the consequences of fractures, 213 people with hematomas, receive medical assistance;

- The Ministry of Internal Affairs ensures unhindered access of various independent monitoring mechanisms to institutions where arrested citizens are located;

- a measure of detention for up to two months has been determined for all those arrested;

- a high-quality and comprehensive investigation will eliminate unfounded accusations;

- the courts should give a clear assessment of the proportionality of the measures of detention applied;

- The Commissioner and other participants of the National Preventive Mechanism will continue monitoring places of detention and appeals of citizens, including monitoring of court proceedings.

 

The full text of the appeal is posted on the official website of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ombudsman/documents/details/272514?lang=ru