Documents, facts, opinions
Archive 1999 - August 2002
US Department of State: Attack on Mr. Sergei Duvanov
Pattern of harassment of Kazakhstan's independent media
30 Aug 2002
Freedom House annual report on Kazakhstan
Study finds worsening conditions for democracy and human rights in Central Asia
28 Aug 2002
There's no excuse for tyranny anywhere...
... Including Kazakhstan. That's the opinion of US business community
26 Aug 2002
Kazakhstan "Not Free"
Freedom House: Annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties
22 Aug 2002
Opposition leaders sentenced in Kazakstan
Oppression jeopardizes investment
20 Aug 2002
Summer is a vacation time, but not in politics
Montreal authorities familiarize themselves with activities of Republican People's Party office in Canada
18 Aug 2002
EU questions trial of Kazakh opposition leader
European Union calls on the president and government of Kazakhstan to adhere to their international obligations
13 Aug 2002
America must try harder
"Consistent American commitment to freedom and democracy" must be repeated in other repressive regimes, for example in Kazakhstan
12 Aug 2002
Oil boom: Behind the scenes
US journalist's Kazakh travel
07 Aug 2002
Concerns and presidents under investigation
Federal prosecutors investigate alleged bribery
06 Aug 2002
The rot in Kazakhstan
Dictatorship is a business hazard. The Economist about opposition to the Nazarbayev regime
05 Aug 2002
"...We await your reply"
Committee to Protect Journalists appeals to President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
31 Jul 2002
Look into the matter!
United States Mission to the OSCE demands that Kazakh authorities revoke the law on political parties and stop repression in Kazakhstan
30 Jul 2002
Opposition is an essential element of democracy
EU insists that Kazakh law on political parties should be revised
27 Jul 2002
Influential US Congressman calls Nazarbayev a gangster thug
Let us not have business as usual with countries that are run by gangsters
26 Jul 2002
OSCE envoy slams new Kazakh law on parties, urges more reform
24 Jul 2002
Fearful vengeance upon opposition member
Media rights group concerned by death of Kazakh editor's daughter
24 Jul 2002
Kazakhs' season of repression
Washington Post editorial
23 Jul 2002
US lawyer at ex-minister's trial to warn USA, rights bodies on Kazakh justice
Charles Both also intends to warn his clients against developing businesses in Kazakhstan
22 Jul 2002
President Nazarbayev signs controversial new law on political parties into force
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE Centre in Almaty
20 Jul 2002
Department of State about Kazakh new law on political parties
US reaction to the anti-democratic law: 'we are increasingly concerned about recent developments'
20 Jul 2002
Nazarbayev regards journalists as "enemies of the people"
Testimony of Internews Europe director to the European Parliament’s Parliamentary Co-operation Committee
15 Jul 2002
Journalist's daughter dies in Kazakhstan after Swiss corruption probe
An interview with a former Geneva prosecutor has driven a Kazakh journalist into hiding and led to her daughter's death, press freedom activists claim
12 Jul 2002
Kazakhstan's "human rights record has been in steady decline"
International League for Human Rights' representative about President Nazarbayev's policy
08 Jul 2002
Global Witness for prosecution in Kazakhstan
People's Oil Fund teams up with international Global Witness to jointly retrieve billions of dollars stolen from the people
04 Jul 2002
From Senate to Senate
Italian MPs follow the example of their American counterparts, demand sanctions against Kazakh dictator
01 Jul 2002
U.S. continues to promote human rights, democracy in Central Asia
State Department's Lorne Craner at June 27 Senate hearing
29 Jun 2002
There is a letter for President Nazarbayev. From Strasbourg
Member of European Parliament explains to the President the idea of a Freedom Passport
21 Jun 2002
European Parliament singles out opposition leader for recognition
Akezhan Kazhegeldin, the leader of the Kazakh Republican People's Party and former prime minister from 1994 to 1997, received a Passport of Freedom
17 Jun 2002
Unprecedented criticism of the Nazarbayev regime
OSCE denounces the political system in Kazakhstan as ugly, the press situation as terrible, and the President as an authoritarian dictator
17 Jun 2002
Noble lords about President Nazarbayev's unnoble deeds
Kazakhstan debate in the House of Lords
03 Jun 2002
No room for corrupt dictator in OSCE
US Congress about erosion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kazakhstan
27 May 2002
Brutal dictator
CNN observers in Washington about persecution of Kazakh independent press as an "Outrage of the Week"
26 May 2002
Committee to Protect Journalists: Two opposition newspapers attacked
Kazakh authorities are creating an environment in which journalists are increasingly vulnerable to violence and intimidation
24 May 2002
Astana firebombs and destroys editorial offices, Washington expresses deep concern
Statement by U.S. Department of State
24 May 2002
Another politically-motivated attempt to silence all voices of dissent in KZ
The International League for Human Rights sent a letter to N.Nazarbaev about attack on the Sol-Dat newspaper
22 May 2002
Crackdowns on human rights abuses in Central Asian countries
Interview: Martha Brill Olcott from the Carnegy Endowment for International Peace
16 May 2002
A new force in Central Asia
Will intervention foster democracy?
04 May 2002
Keeping Central Asia's kleptocrats at arm's length
US Congress about dictators and ways to oppose them
02 May 2002
ABC News: US television channel about situation in Central Asia
Nightline on Kazakhstan. Professor Masanov, Ermurat Bapi and Yevgeny Zhovtis discuss opressive KZ regime
29 Apr 2002
Kazakh scandals throw spotlight on democracy
Allegations of corruption at all levels dominate the Kazakh news
29 Apr 2002
Eduard Lintner meets with opposition leaders from Kazakhstan
Leading Kazakh politicians had a talk with leaders of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
29 Apr 2002
Three days in European capital
Kazakh opposition members at the Council of Europe: Meetings in detail
29 Apr 2002
Kazakh opposition overplays its hand, faces repression
Political tensions in Kazakhstan have been escalating since last November
26 Apr 2002
Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise
Interview with Martha Brill Olcott Author, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment 19 Apr 2002
Attacks on the Press in 2001
Committee to Protect Journalists' annual report notes several alarming trends 13 Apr 2002
Kleptocrats istead of partocrats
Excerpt from Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing on Central Asia 20 Mar 2002
US Department of State: Report on Human Rights Practices 2001
Kazakhstan Report on Human Rights Practices 2001 05 Mar 2002
We won't allow to plunder the National Oil Fund
Appeal of Kazakh politicians to Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young Global 05 Mar 2002
Kazakh public asks U.S. Government to help return democratic opposition leader Akezhan Kazhegeldin to Kazakhstan
Letter by leading public figures of Kazakhstan to Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs 27 Feb 2002
Senator McCain for Kazhegeldin's return to Kazakhstan
In his letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell, he writes about political freedoms, free press, and Kazakhstan's commitments as an OSCE and UN member 19 Feb 2002
President Nazarbayev keeps "starting" political parties and fearing Akezhan Kazhegeldin's comeback
Beth Jones, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Briefing to the Press, Washington, DC, 11 Feb 2002
Alarming developments for religious freedom in Kazakhstan
US Congress criticizes Nursultan Nazarbayev for flagrant violation of his OSCE commitments 08 Feb 2002
Secretary of State Colin Powell about his meeting with minister Tokayev
Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on FY2003 budget. Chairman Sen. Biden
"I had the foreign minister of one of those countries in my office yesterday, and we talked about this very candidly. Corruption, human rights, religious freedom, all of these things are important in a relationship with the United States. And don't ever expect to have a meeting where we don't talk about this issues…"
Excerpt from the transcript of Feb 5 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing
Human Rights Watch World Report 2002
2001
Human rights in Central Asia
Debates in U.S. Congress on the eve of President Nazarbaev's visit
Congressional Records, 20 December 2001
Human rights group slams central Asian regimes
for the increasing number of human rights violations
Agence France-Presse, 11 December 2001
USAID says committed to vital Central Asia
Interview with assistant administrator for USAID's Europe and Eurasia bureau
Reuters English News Service, 7 December 2001
EBRD says C.Asia funding still hinges on reforms
The Bank will not compromise over democracy
Reuters English News Service, 22 October 2001
Helsinki Commission Hearing on the OSCE
Central Asia policies could breed further threats to stability
Received via e-mail, 11 October 2001
Central Asia: No excuse for escalating human rights violations
Situation in Central Asia could deteriorate in the weeks to come
Amnesty International, 11 October 2001
What to fight for
Despotic regimes of Central Asia may work with the US not in defense of freedom
The Washington Post, 24 September 2001
Freedom House:
Kazakhstan and 26 former Communist states in Transit
Freedom House, 15 August 2001
Ten Years after the Soviet Collapse:
Persistence of the Past and Prospects for the Future
Freedom House, 15 August 2001
New round of opposition harassment
National Democratic Institute registers governmental terror
NDI, 13 August 2001
Cozying up to Kazakhstan ignores state's undemocratic tendencies
The U.S. would destroy its credibility as a beacon of freedom in the world
The Washington Times, 2 August 2001
Civic leaders from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
attend 10th annual session of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
ILHR, 2 August 2001
Dictatorships are alien to OSCE
Human rights in Central Asia a decade after independence
Congressional Records, 1 August 2001
CPJ testifies before Congress on press freedom conditions in Central Asia
'Absence of public debate … allows repressive regimes to stay in power'
CPJ News, 19 July 2001
"Silencing Central Asia: the Voice of
Dissidents"
Testimonies before the House Committee on International Relations
Subcommittees on International Operations and Human Rights and
Middle East and South Asia
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
Kazakh leader's authoritarian drift worries observers
President's tightened his grip on state institutions and amassed sweeping powers
Agence France-Presse, 25 June 2001
U.S. Congress holds hearing on U.S. policy in Central Asia
The picture is found not reassuring
Political Transcripts, 15 June 2001
U.S. policy in Central Asia
Serious flaws in governments' political transitions result in a disturbing level of abuse
Human Rights Watch, 6 June 2001
Helsinki Commission chairman introduces International Anti-Corruption Act
Campbell bill ties U.S. support to corruption clean-up efforts
Helsinki Commission News, 5 June 2001
OSCE chief urges respect for human rights in Kazakhstan
during a tour of four Central Asian republics
Agence France-Presse, 4 June 2001
Human rights problems in Kazakhstan
U.S. Congressman shares his concerns
Congressional Records, 22 May 2001
New IHF Report documents human rights abuses in OSCE region:
Escalation in Central Asia
IHF, 22 May 2001
A choice for democracy
Autocratic leaders are cracking down
The Washington Post, 1 May 2001
We know him! We believe him!
A note on recent politics in Kazakhstan
Received via e-mail, 23 April 2001
Government wields criminal libel laws against opposition press
CPJ calls for joining it in protesting the attack on press
Committee to Protect Journalists, 17 April 2001
Expression not free in Central Asia
Former Soviet republics' democratic reforms remain only promises
The Washington Times, 14 April 2001
Central Asia delegation visits Brussels
in a two-day programme of meetings with senior European officials
Received via e-mail, 11 April 2001
Astana rails against US rights report
A wide-ranging US human rights probe provokes Kazak fury
IWPR, 10 April 2001
Central Asian repression and mismanagement are the problem
not the solution to combating Islamic extremism
Congressional Record, 21 March 2001
Optimism vanishing in Central Asia
The West must not help dictators stay in Central Asia
Received via e-mail, March 2001
They speak for those who have no voice
U.S. Department of State releases Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2000
Received via e-mail, 27 February 2001
Fresh dynasties sprout in post-soviet lands
as democratic succession withers
The New York Times, 20 February 2001
Italian Senate slams Nazarbayev
MPs raise a question regarding Kazakhstan's participation in OSCE
Rome, 19 February 2001
Routine harassment
Insult laws should be wiped off the books around the world
The Wall Street Journal Europe, 15 February 2001
Repression spreads in Central Asia
The campaign against "enemies of the people" is especially disturbing
Received via e-mail, 15 February 2001
A trip round the 'Stans'
All five Central Asian presidents are authoritarian
Foreign Report, 8 February 2001
Tapping into a pipe dream
It is in America's interest to help rid Kazakhstan of corruption and lack of transparency
The Washington Times, 1 February 2001
Kazakh democratic public appeals to US Congress, US Justice Department
"Kazakhgate" scandal is widely covered in foreign press
Roll Call, 29 January 2001
Investment in freedom is flush with peril
Authoritarian leaders are determined to protect power and privileges
The Washington Post, 25 January 2001
Representatives of the democratic forces in Kazakhstan demand
U.S. oil 'bonuses' to corrupt politicians and consultants be returned to Kazakh people
WorlOil.com, 10 January 2001
2000
Freedom in the World
Report on situation in Kazakhstan
Freedom House, 15 December 2000
Human Rights Watch releases a new report
On the eve of the International Human Rights Day
Received via e-mail, 8 December 2000
Free press is battered in post-soviet Central Asia
Repression of news media is increasing and indiscriminate
New York Times, 7 December 2000
When 'criminal' is political
Repressive regimes are manipulating Interpol
The Washington Times, December 2000
Doors are shut on political opponents
Progress towards internationally accepted democratic norms is proving slow
Financial Times (London), 11 December 2000
US lawmakers urge Central Asia to adopt democracy to stem fundamentalism
The debate revealed serious concern
Agence France-Presse, 2 November 2000
US Congress voices great concern
Discussion of H. Con. Res. 397 at the House of Representatives
Received via e-mail, 1 November 2000
(Voicing concern about serious violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in most states of Central Asia)
More words than deeds on Kazakhstan?
The Clinton-Gore administration relationship is once again making news
The Washington Post, 4 October 2000
The arrest of Kazakhstan's opposition leader
Speech to highlight the troubled transition from communism to democracy
Congressional Record, 14 July 2000
International League for Human Rights voices its concern
Arrest of Mr Kazhegeldin constitutes serious violations of international norms
Received via e-mail, 13 July 2000
CJP's annual "Ten Worst Enemies of the Press" release
President Nazarbayev is listed as a freshman
News agencies of the world, 3-5 May 2000
Testimony before the House international relations subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on democracy in the Central Asian republics
The Central Asian region has been a disappointing one from
the point of view of democracy-building
16 April 2000
Religious Discrimination and Related Violations of Helsinki Commitments. Kazakhstan
Report to the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedom of Religion
E-mail, 26 March 2000
Testimony before the House international relations subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific on democracy in the Central Asian republics
The Central Asian region has been a disappointing one from the point of view of democracy-building
Dr. Martha BRILL OLCOTT, senior associate, Carnegie endowment for international peace, professor of political science, Colgate university
E-mail, 16 April 2000
Coddling Dictators
President Nursultan Nazarbayev is a prime example of the systemic political and economic corruption
The Nation, January 31, 2000
1999
Republic of Kazakhstan Parliamentary Elections, 10 and 24 October 1999
OSCE/ODIHR Final Report
