The European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) has called on Kazakh authorities to release all political prisoners and stop the criminal prosecution of those who died during unrest in the Central Asian nation in January.
The group of MEPs highlighted in a statement issued on August 24 "the importance of a transparent, comprehensive, and fair investigation into January 2022 events" and called on Nur-Sultan to stop the criminal prosecution of those killed during the unrest.
The January unrest occurred after a peaceful demonstration against a fuel-price hike in the tightly controlled country's western region of Manghystau led to widespread anti-government protests that were violently dispersed by law enforcement and the military.
Thousands of people were detained during and after the protests, which President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said were caused by "20,000 terrorists" from abroad, a claim for which authorities have provided no evidence. Authorities said 238 people, including 19 law enforcement officers, were killed during the unrest. Authorities labeled many of those killed during the unrest "terrorists" and launched probes against them posthumously.
The DROI statement called for the "immediate halt to the harassment and intimidation of political and civil society activists and the release of all political prisoners...and the criminal prosecution of people deceased in the course of the January events."
Several participants in the protests have been handed lengthy prison terms across the country in recent months on charges of organizing mass disturbances and riots. More trials are pending.
Officials said six people had been tortured to death after being arrested for taking part in the January protests, adding that 15 law enforcement officers had been arrested in connection with the alleged torture.
The Prosecutor-General's Office said earlier that 25 people were officially considered victims of torture by hot irons during interrogations.
The DROI statement specifically called for the release of Zhanbolat Mamai, a journalist and leader of the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, who has been in custody since mid-March.
The 34-year-old Mamai faces up to 10 years in prison on charges of organizing mass riots and knowingly disseminating false information during the protests in January, which he and his supporters reject as politically motivated.
Mamai, known for his harsh criticism of the nation's authoritarian government, has been trying to register the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan but claims he is being prevented from doing so by the government. He says officials only permit parties loyal to the political powers to be legally registered.
Christian Sagartz of Austria, who led the DROI delegation to Kazakhstan, said the European Parliament "fully supports Kazakhstan on its path toward a democratic state and offers its assistance as a potential facilitator between the civil society, new political forces, and the government."
"Universal human rights apply to everyone and everywhere. We acknowledge the recent efforts of the country in order to improve democratic structures for their citizens. We will follow them thoroughly and expect a fast implementation. We call for the rapid publication of the findings of the investigation into the January events, in order for Kazakhstan to be credible to its citizens as well as the international community,” Sagartz said in the statement.