Kazakhstan: two WHRDs sentenced to "freedom limitation"
Event- Country
- Kazakhstan
- Initial Date
- Mar 4, 2021
- Event Description
A court in southern Kazakhstan has handed parole-like sentences to two women for their links with the banned organizations Koshe (Street) Party and the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement amid an ongoing crackdown on individuals supporting the two opposition groups.
On March 4, a city court in Taraz sentenced both Nazira Lesova and Nazira Lepesova to two years of "freedom limitation" after finding them guilty of organizing and participating in the activities of the groups. Lepesova was also sentenced to 100 hours of community work.
Both women rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated. They also said they would the rulings.
Two days earlier, the same court sentenced another activist, Zhazira Qambarova, to two years of "freedom limitation" on the same charge.
Several activists across the Central Asian nation have been handed "freedom limitation" sentences for their involvement in the activities of the Koshe Party and DVK, as well as for taking part in rallies organized by the two groups.
The DVK is led by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fugitive former head of Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank and an outspoken critic of the Kazakh government. Kazakh authorities labeled the DVK extremist and banned the group in March 2018.
Human rights groups have said that Kazakhstan's law on public gatherings contradicts international standards as it requires preliminary permission from authorities to hold rallies.
It also envisions prosecution for organizing and attending unsanctioned demonstrations even though the nation's constitution guarantees its citizens the right of free assembly.
- Impact of Event
- 2
- Gender of HRD
- Woman
- Violation
- Judicial Harassment
- Restrictions on Movement
- Rights Concerned
- Freedom of movement
- Right to political participation
- HRD
- Pro-democracy defender
- WHRD
- Perpetrator-State
- Judiciary
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 42.8960394807377
Longitude: 71.35278441378752
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 4 March 2021, Nazira Lesova and Nazira Lepesova, pro-democracy WHRDs, were sentenced to 2-year freedom limitation and community work for their involvement in the pro-democracy movement by a court in Taraz, Kazakhstan.