Kazakhstan: Update to KKT34447.E of 17 May 2000 on the treatment of ethnic Russians, including whether they are targeted by the government, and if so, any available protection

Ethnic Russians make up between 30 and 35 per cent (United States Oct. 2001; BBC 13 June 2002; Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001; RFE/RL 19 Oct. 2000; Europa 2001 2001, 2268) of the general population of 15 million (ibid.; BBC 13 June 2002; RFE/RL 16 Apr. 2002) and number between 5 million (Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001) and 6.2 million (UNHCR June 2002, 13). The Russians are the largest minority (ibid.), while ethnic Kazakhs make up 53.4 per cent of the population (United States Oct. 2001; Europa 2001 2001, 2268).

Kazakh is the state language, although the constitution states that Russian is "used officially on a basis equal with that of the Kazakh language in organizations and bodies of local self-administration" (Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001, sec. 5; Country Reports 2001 4 Mar. 2002, sec. 5). According to the US Department of State, "Russian is the language often used in commerce and government," (Oct. 2001) and "most of the population speaks Russian; only half of ethnic Kazakhs speak Kazakh fluently, although it is enjoying a renaissance" (ibid.; Country Reports 2000 23 Feb. 2001, sec. 5).

However, in late 2001, two Moscow Times journalists met with Russians trying to leave Kazakhstan for Russia, who were gathered outside the Russian embassy in Almaty, and many of the applicants stated that the status of the Russian language is "one of the most pressing reasons for the mass emigration of Russians" (Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001). Reportedly most Kazakhs speak Russian as a second language, but the number of government jobs requiring Kazakh increases annually; since early 2000, the government has required that all paperwork be produced in Kazakh (ibid.). Other ethnic minorities are also affected by this language issue as most tend to study Russian as a second language, not Kazakh (ibid.).

The two Mowcow Times journalists also reported that a linguistic commission tests the Kazakh-language ability of candidates applying for federal positions or seeking to run in elections (Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001). A 13 June 2002 BBC country profile on Kazakhstan corroborated this finding, stating that the ethnic groups of Kazakhstan "generally live in harmony, though ethnic Russians resent the lack of dual citizenship and having to pass a Kazakh language test in order to work for government or state bodies."

In October 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Yurii Bunakov, one of the leaders of an association representing the Russian minority in Kazakhstan, and Interfax reported that Putin had called for the Russian community to be "given opportunities to preserve and develop its language and culture" (RFE/RL 19 Oct. 2000). Bunakov stated that Russians only held 8 per cent of government jobs, despite the size of their community (ibid.).

The June 2002 UNCHR WRITENET paper on Kazakhstan stated that "there is no official policy of discrimination against non-Kazakhs" (17), yet Country Reports 2000 stated that "the government continued to discriminate in favour of ethnic Kazakhs in government employment, where ethnic Kazakhs predominate, as well as in education, housing, and other areas" (23 Feb. 2001, sec. 5), and Country Reports 2001 reported more specifically that the "government continued to discriminate in favour of ethnic Kazakhs in senior government employment, where ethnic Kazakhs predominate" (4 Mar. 2002, sec. 5).

In October 2000, the Institute of Commonwealth of Independent States Studies published an analytical report, which stated that educational problems existed in Kazakhstan, recommending that Russian-language schools and universities be opened because the Kazakh and Russian systems "differ so drastically" (Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001). Reportedly some Russian universities found some of their branch campuses were closed down in 2000 because they had neglected to obtain a Kazakh operating license (ibid.). These universities, however, were reported to have complained that in order to obtain the Kazakh license, they would have to adopt the Kazakh educational standards, which would contradict their purpose of providing Russian-style education to their students (ibid.). Pavlodor's chief prosecutor allegedly demanded on local television that Russian university campuses "conform to the norms of Kazakh education on pain of having their diplomas declared invalid in Kazakhstan" (ibid.). Corroboration could not be found among the sources consulted.

Alexander Yakovlev, chairman of the Regional Society of Slavic Culture in Ust-Kamenogorsk, complained in late 2001 that Russian education is "on the wane," that the school curriculum is in Kazakh, that his society, which seeks to promote Russian culture and education, has reportedly faced numerous attempts to shut it down by the authorities, and has been repeatedly denied permission by the authorities to open a Slavic cultural center in the "local house of friendship" (Moscow Times 30 Nov. 2001). Yakovlev alleged that "whenever they put a Kazakh director in charge of a company, he starts firing Russians" (ibid.).

Kazakhstan's press includes the following Russian-language newspapers: Kazakhstanskaya Pravda (Truth of Kazakhstan, published five times a week, government-backed), Ekspress-K (published five times a week, privately-owned, pro-government), and Nachnem s ponedelnika (privately-owned, opposition weekly) (Europa 2001 2001, 2276; BBC 13 June 2002).

In May 2001, the president signed a bill that would reduce the retransmission of foreign broadcasts to one half of all the available airtime by January 2002, and to 20 per cent by January 2003 (IHFHR 2002, 185; HRW Dec. 2001; Country Report 2001 4 Mar. 2002, sec. 2a). The Minister of Information attempted to justify this amendment as bringing to "an end the domination of Russian TV and radio-programmes" and increasing the quality of domestic media; however, it was felt by many that this amendment would result in limiting diversity of information (IHFHR 2002, 185). The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHFHR) reported that by early 2002, several media outlets had already been fined for having broken the new regulations (ibid.).

In early 2001, it was reported that several Russian organizations intended to form a new political party that was to be called the Russian Party and that would seek to increase the percentage of Russians holding government jobs to one third (RFE/RL 25 Jan. 2001; Eurasia Insight 14 Apr. 2002). However, it was reported that not all Russian organizations supported the creation of this Russian Party for fear that it could "cause inter-ethnic problems in Kazakhstan, as well as tensions between the Russian organizations themselves" (RFE/RL 2 Feb. 2001; Eurasia Insight 14 Apr. 2002). On 15 April 2002, the Russian Party of Kazakhstan was registered, and according to its charter, it "seek[s] equitable and equal participation of all national communities in Kazakhstan in the state and social activities of the country" (ibid.; RFE/RL 16 Apr. 2002). The party manifesto states that it was established on a "nonracial, nonethnic, and nonreligious basis" (ibid.). A month after its creation, party chairman Gennadii Belyakov stated that it had 3,000 members (Kazakhstan Daily Digest 16 May 2002).

On 8 January 2001, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that Belgium had begun deporting failed refugee claimants from Kazakhstan. A total of 2,500 citizens from Kazakhstan had applied for political asylum and had been rejected (RFE/RL 8 Jan. 2001). On 6 January, the first group of 33 failed refugee claimants, mostly ethnic Russians, was deported (ibid.).

Sources consulted did not report incidents of state targeting of Russians. The June 2002 UNHCR WRITENET paper on Kazakhstan reported that "there is no evidence to suggest that in Kazakhstan any particular social, ethnic or religious group is at risk of serious human rights violations by State and/or non-State actors. ... [T]he human rights record in Kazakhstan is relatively good (particularly in comparison with other Central Asian states)" (17).

However, doubts were reportedly "raised ... about the neutrality of legal authorities" (2001, 215) after 13 Russians accused of "separatism" following their November 1999 "armed insurrection" in Ust-Kamenogorsk were sentenced to terms of four to 18 years imprisonment (Freedom House 2001, 215-16). Concerns were voiced regarding the severity of the charges and the sentences imposed (2001, 215). Observers found the evidence against the accused to be slim (Freedom House 2001, 216; RFE/RL 15 June 2000). Russian officials questioned the verdicts as well, relations with Russia "began to turn sour," and tensions increased between the Kazakh and Russian communities inside Kazakhstan (RFE/RL 15 June 2000). On 12 July 2000, the prison sentences of seven of the convicted Russians were reduced, including the leader whose sentence was reduced from 18 to 15 years (Central Asian Caucasus Analyst 19 July 2000).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

BBC [London]. 13 June 2002."Country Profile: Kazakhstan." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

Central Asian Caucasus Analyst. 19 July 2000. "Kazakh Court Reduces Separatist Russians' Jail Sentences." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 2002. Attacks on the Press 2001. [Accessed 28 Oct. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2001. 4 March 2002. United States Department of State. [Accessed 1 Oct. 2002]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000. 23 February 2001. United States Department of State. [Accessed 1 Oct. 2002]

Eurasia Insight. 14 April 2002. Ibraghim Alibekov. "Russian Party of Kazakhstan May Reflect Moscow's Influence." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

The Europa World Year Book 2001. 2001. 42nd ed. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications.

Freedom House. 2001. Nations in Transit 2001. [Accessed 1 Oct. 2002]

Human Rights Watch. December 2001. Human Rights Watch World Report 2002. [Accessed 28 Oct. 2002]

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHFHR). 2002. Annual Report 2002. [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

Kazakhstan Daily Digest. 16 May 2002. "Kazakhstan's New Russian Party Outlines its Objectives." [Accessed 28 Oct. 2002]

Moscow Times. 30 November 2001. Nonna Chernyakova and Russell Working. "Hurry Up and Wait." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 16 April 2002. Newsline. "'Nonethnic' Russian Party Founded in Kazakhstan." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

_____. 2 February 2001. Kazakh Report. "Some Russian Organizations Protest Creation of Russian Party in Kazakhstan." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

_____. 25 January 2001. (Un)Civil Societies. Vol. 2, No. 4. "A New Russian Political Party." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

_____. 8 January 2001. Newsline. "Belgium Deports Asylum-Seekers From Kazakhstan." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

_____. 19 October 2000. (Un)Civil Societies. Vol. 1, No. 23. "Putin Visits Ethnic Russians in Kazakhstan." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

_____. 15 June 2000. Features. Bruce Pannier. "Kazakhstan: Convictions of Russian 'Separatists' Upset Relations." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). June 2002. No. 3/2002. Shirin Akiner. Kazakhstan: An Overview. [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

United States. October 2001. Background Note: Kazakhstan. October 2001. United States Department of State. [Accessed 25 Oct. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Denmark. Immigration Service. Fact-Finding Missions. May 2000-December 2001.

Human Rights Watch World Report 2001. December 2000.

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights. 23-25 April 2002. Judicial Systems and Human Rights in the OSCE Region in 2001.

_____. International Helsinki Federation (IHF) Mission to Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) 7-16 June 2001.

IRB Databases.

Netherlands. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Country Reports. May 2000-July 2001.

Switzerland. Federal Office for Refugees. Country Reports. May-June 2000.

UNHCR. Background Papers on Refugees and Asylum Seekers. May 2000-September 2001.

_____. Country Profiles.

_____. WRITENET Papers. May 2000-September 2002.

Internet sites, including:

Central Asia and the Caucasus

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

UNHCR

United Kingdom. Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Search engines, including:

Google