Imprisoned Human Rights Defender’s Case Against Kazakhstan Reaches UN

NEW YORK/ALMATY—Yevgeniy Zhovtis, one of Central Asia’s leading human rights activists, filed a complaint today with the United Nations to challenge a conviction and sentence imposed, he says, to silence him. In a 75-page communication to the UN Human Rights Committee by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Zhovtis contends that his trial was unfair and his punishment degrading.

This is the first time a communication concerning Kazakhstan has been received by the committee.

“Zhovtis is one of Kazakhstan’s most renowned and respected human rights defenders, and his unfair imprisonment has had a chilling effect on our community,” said Roza Akylbekova, acting executive director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law. “This case underscores the urgent need for serious police and judicial reform.”

In September 2009, Zhovtis was sentenced to four years in prison after he was involved in a fatal traffic accident in which he struck a man walking down the middle of an unlit road at night. International observers noted a number of flagrant procedural violations in both the investigation and the trial, which the subsequent appeals process only reinforced. In particular, Zhovtis was never given equal opportunity to present evidence and expert witnesses on his behalf.

“This case highlights systemic flaws in Kazakhstan's judicial system, including its vulnerability to political interference,” said James A. Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative. “We hope the United Nations will recognize the injustice Zhovtis has suffered, and that in light of these violations, Kazakhstan will release him immediately.”

Since his sentencing, Zhovtis has been sent to a new prison near the border with China and close to Mongolia—more than 1,000 kilometers from his family and colleagues in Almaty, and far from journalists and diplomats in Astana. In prison, Zhovtis’s correspondence and meetings are strictly monitored, and he has been singled out for arbitrary restrictions.