Kazakhstan Makes Little Progress in Improving Democracy and Press Freedom

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

ALMATY, Kazakhstan – In a recently released report by Freedom House, the organization condemns Kazakhstan for not making significant progress in meeting international standards for democracy and law.  Freedom House is a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to democracy and freedom around the world.

Freedom House also stresses that the lack of progress by Kazakhstan undermines the European Human Right Watchdog, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Kazakhstan is scheduled to take over the chairmanship of OSCE in 2010.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev has been widely criticized for tolerating no political dissent.  In June, he promised to create a more democratic parliament, relax electoral laws, and make it easier for political parties to register.  President Nursultan Nazarbayev also pledged to amend laws that severely restrict press freedom.  However, few of these reforms will be completed by their promised end of 2008 deadline.

“Freedom House urges U.S. officials to stress that Kazakhstan must take its OSCE commitments seriously if it wants to maintain its current relationship with Washington,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, Freedom House’s senior program manager for Central Asia.  He continued, “Kazakhstani citizens deserve to be accorded the democratic freedoms their leaders have promised to provide, yet their government continues to impede basic rights, from freedom of speech to freedom of religion.”

For more information, please see:

Daily Telegram – Rights Group Slams Kazakhstan ‘Democracy’ – 1 October 2008

Freedom House – News Report: Kazakhstan Falls Short of OSCE Commitments – 30 September 2008

News Blaze – Kazakhstan Falls Short of OSCE – 30 September 2008

Author: Impunity Watch Archive