photo: Alf-Åge Hansen, Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights

-In spite of a few legislative reforms, Kazakhstan has yet to show its seriousness in living up to its OSCE commitments on human rights. Norway and other OSCE states should ask for real improvements during its 2010 Chairmanship of the OSCE, says the president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, Kjell Magne Bondevik. -In bringing up human rights issues with Kazakhstan’s authorities, they should underline the responsibility of Kazakhstan to upholding the principles of the OSCE by its own example.
The Oslo Center and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee recently discussed human rights with the Government of Kazakhstan, focusing on freedom of religion issues. Kazakhstan’s 2007 Madrid pledges of reforms included strengthening of both political rights and freedom of assembly. It also promised increased media freedom. -Reforms initiated so far have not solved these issues. On the contrary, some of the problems have been worsening, while at the same time there have been some small improvements in other fields. Kazakhstan still has a long way to go in order to implement the human rights principles of the OSCE, says Bjørn Engesland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

Islam and Russian orthodox Christendom are the largest faith based congregations in the country, while Judaism and Catholic Christendom also rank among traditional faiths. The requirement to register all religious activity is creating problems, particularly for smaller, non-traditional religious groups. Unregistered religious meetings are punished with heavy fines and prison, while small congregations such as Jehovah’s witnesses and Hare Krishna are rendered suspect in public debates by being portrayed as “sects”. They are seldom given possibility to defend or explain themselves in the media.

Kazakhstan has recently ratified important human rights treaties and invited UN special rapporteurs to visit Kazakhstan. “It is positive that the country ratifies international treaties and it is a good thing that it has drawn up its own human rights action plan, but in reality the development is going the wrong way in some fields. Three of four opposition newspapers have been compelled to close down by heavy economic punishments for criticizing the government. Critically minded journalists risk harassment, and expansion of media legislation to cover statements on private Internet sites show that the situation is indeed worsening”, says Bondevik.

The organizations underlined that while it is positive that tolerance and interreligious dialogue have been included among Kazakhstan’s priorities for its Chairmanship, there can be no such dialogue without freedom of religion being respected.

Background
Kazakhstan was elected by a 2007 Ministerial Council meeting in Madrid to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010. Kazakhstan is the first post-Soviet country to chair the organization, and its bid for Chairmanship remained controversial among participating states right up to the approval by the Ministerial Council.

The OSCE is an all-European security organization, including human rights and fundamental freedoms among commitments participating states have to adhere to. The organization is made up by all former Soviet countries, as well as all countries in Europe and North America. Decisions are taken by consensus.

Several human rights groups maintain that Kazakhstan is not ready for the task of chairing the OSCE, and fear that the human rights situation will worsen. They point to recent economic sanctions against the opposition, and other trends pointing in the wrong direction.

Domestic human rights defenders are increasingly coming under pressure, as shown by a recent case against one of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders, Evgeny Zhovtis. Zhovtis had been involved in a fatal traffic accident, leading to the death of one person. On 3rd September 2009 he was sentenced to four years imprisonment in a labor colony. An appeal in the case was denied 20 October 2009 by Almaty regional court. Human rights groups and international observers maintained that court hearings in the case fell short of international standards, and remain convinced that the government is using the accident, and the severe and disproportionate punishment, as a signal to other Human Rights activists in the country.

Kazakhstan is an oil and gas rich country, being increasingly integrated into international economy and trade. Norwegian companies are competing for contracts worth billions, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently established an embassy in the capital Astana.

It is a stated goal of Kazakhstan’s authorities to adhere to human rights and European values. However, President Nursultan Nazarbayev has underlined that his country would have to develop along the path to Europe by its own pace, giving priority to development of the economy and keeping political stability.