Kazakh activist released from pretrial detention
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 September 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh activist released from pretrial detention, 4 September 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/525e3f38a.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. |
September 04, 2013
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Kazakh journalist and activist Aleksandr Kharlamov (file photo)
RIDDER, Kazakhstan – An independent journalist and civil society activist in Kazakhstan has been released from a pretrial detention center.
A court in the northeastern town of Ridder decided late on September 3 that Aleksandr Kharlamov can go home but cannot travel outside of Ridder.
Kharlamov, 63, was arrested in March and charged with inciting religious hatred because of articles he wrote on world religions. In April, he was sent from his hometown of Ridder to a psychiatric clinic in Almaty and placed under forced observation. He was later sent back to Ridder and placed in pretrial detention.
Kharlamov's relatives say authorities launched investigations against him after he accused Ridder police of violating people's rights. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch have urged Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Kharlamov.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
