Stand up for human rights in Kazakhstan

Written declaration No. 818 | Doc. 16229 | 19 August 2025

Signatories:

Ms Laura CASTEL, Spain, UEL ; Ms Gabrielle CATHALA, France, UEL ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Mr Gerardo GIOVAGNOLI, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Vinzenz GLASER, Germany, UEL ; Lord Leslie GRIFFITHS, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Kristina IKIĆ BANIČEK, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Marc LAMUÀ, Spain, SOC ; Mr Ettore Antonio LICHERI, Italy, UEL ; Mr George LOUCAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Conor MURPHY, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Ivan RAČAN, Croatia, SOC ; Ms Adela RĂILEANU, Republic of Moldova, UEL ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Ms Anne STAMBACH-TERRENOIR, France, UEL ; Mr Constantin STARÎŞ, Republic of Moldova, UEL ; Ms Gala VELDHOEN, Netherlands, SOC

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

The Parliamentary Assembly has been closely following Kazakhstan's new political leaders' commitments to democratic transformation and human rights.

However, despite the authorities' promising assertions, there were no improvements regarding the fight against torture, the treatment of prisoners, judicial independence and the right to a fair trial.

Kazakh authorities resort to fabricate cases and extend legal threats, including against family members. Muratkhan Tokmadi, imprisoned and tortured to obtain a false confession against opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, is an illustrative example.

This case was reported in written declaration No. 638, which called for the release of political prisoners, respect for human rights and an end to torture.

In the light of the forthcoming report on transnational repression, we are concerned that written declaration No. 638 and other Assembly documents concerning Kazakhstan have been ignored.

We condemn the use of extrajudicial methods and abuse of legal co-operation mechanisms against those associated with the opposition. In light of the above, we call for granting to Muratkhan Tokmadi the right to a fair trial and for his release.

We support the European Parliament's resolution on the human rights situation in Kazakhstan and the recommendation to use multilateral forums such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to monitor the country.