Dokument #2010468
HRW – Human Rights Watch (Autor)
Mass detention of peaceful protesters in Kazakhstan is nothing new. The actions police take to thwart and break up peaceful yet unsanctioned assemblies, including hauling protesters into riot police vans, are routine and have been well-documented over the years .
But it is not every day that peaceful protests coincide with Kazakhstan’s most notable election in recent years – an event that has drawn international observers and significant media attention to the country. Nor do police usually detain foreign journalists and rights workers when rounding up protesters.
Several other journalists and monitors were detained while covering today’s events, including local journalists from Radio Azattyk and Vlast.kz , and a representative of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law , a local human rights group. After some hours, they too were released.
Qasym-Jomart Tokaev, Nazarbaev’s handpicked successor and favorite to win the vote, told journalists today that “we will be tolerant of people who voice different views. We will engage in dialogue with all those who support the government, and with those who are against the government .”
Given today’s events, someone should point out the obvious: as long as police in Kazakhstan deny people the right to peacefully protest and express their critical views, Tokaev’s words will ring hollow.
Kazakh authorities should urgently take meaningful action to permit and protect the right of protesters to peacefully express opinions without fear of harassment, detention, and abuse.