'Missing' Kazakh dissident found in penal colony
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 November 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 'Missing' Kazakh dissident found in penal colony, 6 November 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/528b68a53c5.html [accessed 15 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 06, 2013
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Aron Atabek in 2007 (file photo)
ALMATY – Jailed Kazakh dissident Aron Atabek, whose whereabouts were unknown for several weeks, has been located in his old penal colony in the central Qaraghandy region.
Atabek's son said that his father has been returned to the labor camp in the town of Qarazhal from a tougher prison in the northern Qostanai region. Kazakhstan's Bureau for Human Rights said the Qostanai Prosecutor's Office had annulled last year's decision by the Qarazhal Town Court to transfer Atabek to a harsher prison for two years for his refusal to follow penitentiary regulations.
Atabek, 60, who is a poet, was sentenced to 18 years in jail in 2007 for his role in organizing mass protests that resulted in the death of a police officer.
Atabek has maintained his innocence and rejected a government pardon if he would admit his guilt.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
