Kyrgyz activists protest arrest of Kazakh rights defender
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 August 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz activists protest arrest of Kazakh rights defender, 3 August 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/502504f9c.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. |
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service
August 03, 2012
BISHKEK – Dozens of protesters have picketed the Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General's office in Bishkek, demanding the release of a Kazakh human rights activist from a detention center.
The protesters on August 3 also criticized Kyrgyz authorities for "allowing Kazakh secret services to freely operate on Kyrgyz soil."
Kazakh activist Aleksandr Osadchenko, who is wanted in Kazakhstan for alleged attempted fraud, was detained in Bishkek in June by Kazakh security officers and Kyrgyz law enforcement officers.
Osadchenko's lawyers told journalists in Bishkek on August 2 that Kazakh authorities are persecuting Osadchenko for speaking up on the situation in Kazakhstan's restive western oil town of Zhanaozen, where police shot dead at least 16 people last December.
They also said Osadchenko had asked for political asylum in Kyrgyzstan.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
