Kazakh Court Upholds Convictions Of Opposition Leaders
Bolat Abilov and Asylbek Kozhakhmetov hear the guilty verdict in May.
July 29, 2009
ALMATY -- The Almaty Appeals Court has upheld guilty verdicts passed against three Kazakh opposition leaders, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
Azat party leader Bolat Abilov, unregistered Alga movement leader Asylbek Kozhakhmetov, and Kazakh Communist Party cochairman Tolen Tokhtasynov were found guilty in May of assisting two Kazakh murder suspects gain political asylum in Ukraine.
Abilov's lawyer, Daniyar Kanafin, told RFE/RL that he will appeal the latest decision by the court.
Opposition leaders and international and local rights activists say the case against the three opposition leaders is politically motivated. The three were found guilty, but no sentences have been handed down.