A LAW court in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has sentenced Ainur Kurmanov, leader of Socialist Resistance Kazakhstan (the Socialist Party’s counterpart in Kazakhstan), to 14 days in jail. In court he was charged with “organising a picket” in front of a bank, Temir Bank, and given a maximum sentence of a fortnight imprisonment.
The picket was actually organised by the opposition social movement, ‘Kazakhstan 2012’, to protest over home repossessions. Ainur was not actually organising the picket but was there in his capacity as a journalist.
His possession of a dictaphone – a normal tool of the journalist’s trade – was cited as ‘evidence’ against him! Ainur was also denied legal representation. The lawyer who represented Ainur previously has not been allowed to visit Ainur in jail.
Ainur has started a hunger strike in protest at his imprisonment. An appeal against Ainur’s sentence is being made on his behalf by supporters and lawyers.
We appeal to all readers to immediately send protests to the nearest Kazakhstan Embassy and also to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Kazakhstan holds the position of chair.
Ainur is a journalist but is being prevented by the regime from carrying out his work. The regime obviously fears open reporting of opposition social movements. We appeal to journalists’ unions and progressive organisations everywhere to protest against Ainur’s jailing.
The Kazakh regime is targeting socialists, trade unionists and community activists like Ainur who has been repeatedly arrested and jailed on false charges (see ‘Kazakhstan: Farcical trial of socialist Ainur Kurmanov’, socialistworld.net, 26/03/2010).
