ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Kazakhstan continues to jail people for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief. Vasiliy Kliver, a Baptist in Aktobe Region, was given a five-day jail term Feb. 5 for nonpayment of a 2008 fine. He said police arrested him at home in the morning and took him to a court where he was tried and sent to jail.
Judge Saule Spandiyarova ignored an administrative code limitation on punishments when jailing Kliver, who said, “We are not afraid and are glad to suffer for the Lord.”
Maina Kiai, United Nations special reporter on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, noted after visiting Kazakhstan in January, “[There is] a general unwillingness to properly protect human rights in the country, and of a sense of impunity by some officials.” He also noted state intimidation of those he met. Talgat Rakhimov, head of West Kazakhstan Region Religious Affairs Department, refused to tell why sports fans can share their views anywhere on the street without state permission, but religious believers need state permission.
Kiai said, “It was remarkable that in many of the meetings I had with government officials, the emphasis was on the restrictions to the rights rather than the rights themselves. This is a misconstruction of human rights where the focus must be on facilitating and enjoying the right first and foremost before restrictions, which need to be interpreted narrowly.”
(F18)
Share with others: