Dissident Kazakh poet to be transferred to minimum-security prison
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 December 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dissident Kazakh poet to be transferred to minimum-security prison, 5 December 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/52e659a08.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. |
December 05, 2013
Aron Atabek 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.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – Jailed Kazakh dissident Aron Atabek will be transferred to a minimum-security penal colony.
Atabek's lawyer, Vasily Sadykov, told RFE/RL on December 5 that his client will be transferred soon from the Qarazhal maximum-security labor camp in central Kazakhstan to a minimum-security prison near Almaty, closer to his family.
Atabek had been transferred at least twice to even tougher prisons in Kazakhstan's north recently for his refusal to follow penitentiary regulations.
Amnesty International expressed concern about Atabek's long-term treatment in solitary confinement earlier this year.
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 in exchange for admitting his guilt.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
