Statement on inadmissibility of unreasonable restriction of freedom of expression

On the eve of World Human Rights Day, Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan and International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech "Adil Soz" express deep concern about facts of unjustified and unreasonable restriction of freedom of expression of opinions and convictions.

In Kazakhstan, prisoner of freedom of speech, Chairman of Saryagash Public Association "Adilet" Amangeldy Batyrbekov has appeared after sexennial surcease in 2015. He is a single wage earner of numerous family. Amangeldy Batyrbekov expressed his doubts by means of newspaper, concerning fairness of two trials and hoped, that General Prosecutor's Office called attention to it. Batyrbekov was charged with slander and sentenced to one year and six months of deprivation of liberty.

A twenty-five-years-old administrator of website Igor Sychev was charged with separatist activity and sentenced to five years of deprivation of liberty in Ridder. The court has qualified his mistake (in particularly, he made and eliminate mistake) as grave offense.

In Ekibastuz, taxi company manager Svetlana Shepel was charged with dissemination of misleading information. She found spectators of road traffic accident, where a taxi driver was died and according to oral information provided by them; informed in social networks, that policemen involved in tragic accident. The suit was filed against Chairman of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Writer Murat Telibekov. He was charged with insult of national honour of Kazakhs. Civil activists Serikzham Mambetalin and Ermek Narymbaev were taken into custody.

Bolat Satkangulov was sentenced to six years of deprivation of liberty in Kostanay oblast. He was charged with propaganda of ISIL' ideas. The independent experts qualified it as debate about religious theme.

In general, in 2015 a number of criminal prosecutions, related to freedom of speech increased from 38 to 63 ones as compared to 2014. The extreme important fight against extremism, separatism, incitement of national and religious enmity, practically degenerates into prosecution for dissent, dissemination of opinions and presumptions, delinquencies of unexperienced bloggers and first time users of social networks are interpretted as deliberate improper activity, it inculcates climate of fear in the society. It is deplorable fact of insufficient knowledge and understanding of human rights of law enforcement officers and expert services.

We would like to remind you, that freedom of speech is guaranteed by Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan and within the meaning of United nations General Assembly is fundamental human right and criterion of all the other freedoms. The fight against verbal crimes which really pose a threat to the state, society and citizens