Kazakh rights defenders urge president to veto new criminal code
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 11 June 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh rights defenders urge president to veto new criminal code, 11 June 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/53b282c51c.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| 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. |
June 11, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Kazakhstan have urged President Nursultan Nazarbaev to veto the country's new Criminal Code and related legislation.
Eighteen leading Kazakh NGOs issued a joint statement on June 11, saying that the amendments "directly violate the right of citizens to assemble" and include chapters targeting public organizations and their leaders.
The activists point out that a clause that punishes libel with a three-year prison term has not been eliminated from the code and that a new clause has been added that imposes a 10-year jail sentence for "intentional distribution of false information."
The NGOs who signed the statement included Kazakhstan's Bureau for Human Rights, Human Rights Charter, International Law Initiative, the Foundation for Parliamentary Development, and Adil Soz (A Just Word).
The Kazakh parliament approved the new Criminal Code on June 11 and sent the document to Nazarbaev for signing.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
