[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1815-E1816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HUMAN RIGHTS IN KAZAKHSTAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 1999

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my thoughts on a 
serious human rights issue. On July 16, 1999, the Congressional Human 
Rights Caucus held a hearing on the human rights situation in 
Kazakhstan. I attended the hearing and was moved by the testimony of 
witnesses before the Caucus. I would like to take this opportunity to 
share the following remarks, which I made at the hearing, with all of 
my colleagues.
  The Congressional Human Rights Caucus is deeply concerned about the 
human rights situation in Kazakhstan and has called this briefing today 
to take a closer look at recent developments.
  I am chairing this briefing on behalf of my colleagues, the Honorable 
Tom Lantos of California and the Honorable John Porter  of Illinois, 
the co-chairs and founders of the Human Rights Caucus. Both men are not 
able to attend this morning but that should not be taken as any 
indication that they do not take this matter seriously. The Caucus has 
for more than two decades been the leading voice in the United States 
Congress on the protection of human rights, civil liberties and basic 
freedom around the world. No one is exempt from our scrutiny or our 
concern.
  Kazakhstan is a former Soviet Republic that held great promise early 
in this decade for moving toward democracy and a free market economy. 
But there has been a steady and alarming deterioration in recent years.
  On January 10, 1999, President Nazarbayev was elected to serve a new 
seven-year term in elections considered by international standards to 
be seriously flawed. The United States Government and European Union 
both rejected those elections as illegitimate and refused to recognize 
the outcome. The Constitution, adopted in 1995 in a referendum marred 
by irregularities, permits the President to rule by decree and it 
cannot be changed or amended without the President's consent. Therefore 
both the executive and judicial branches are under the control of the 
President.
  Government Officials routinely harass and intimidate political 
opponents. According to the State Department's Country Reports on Human 
Rights Practices 1998, ``Members of the security forces often beat or 
otherwise abused detainees, and prison conditions remained harsh. There 
were allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention, and prolonged 
detention is a problem. . .  The Interior Ministry reported in 
September that 1,290 prisoners, or

[[Page E1816]]

more than 1 percent of all prisoners had died since the beginning of 
the year of disease, mostly tuberculosis, aggravated by harsh prison 
conditions and inadequate medical treatment. Estimates by human rights 
monitors are not substantially different from government figures.''
  We are pleased to have with us today as our leadoff witness Mr. 
Akezhan Kazhegeldin, Chairman of the National Republican Party of 
Kazakhstan. He is leading the fight for democracy in his country at a 
great personal risk to himself and his family. Other witnesses are with 
us here today were arrested, harassed and paid with their health and 
well being for their desire to tell the truth. Tell the truth to the 
people of Kazakhstan and to us.
  The Nazarbayev regime has employed authoritarian methods to threaten 
and silence the witnesses who will testify today. For example, the 
brave Mrs. Savostina, is a veteran of Joseph Stalin's Gulag. Instead of 
receiving an award from the post-Communist government of her country, 
the Kazakhstani authorities have arrested her several times.
  On June 16 of this year a criminal investigation was initiated 
against Mr. Kazhegeldin and his wife for filing his 1997 income taxes 
late even though they had been paid in full at least nine months 
earlier. They were paid late only due to a mistake of his Kazakhstani 
attorney and accountant, but nothing was said about any criminal 
charges last fall when Mr. Kazhegeldin was in Kazakhstan, nothing until 
the surprise charges were filed just last month.
  Now the Nazarbayev regime has gone even farther in its abuse of the 
rule of law and is taking advantage of the legal system--which it 
controls--to persecute Mr. Kazhegeldin. The head of the Kazakhstani tax 
service, who happens to be Mr. Nazarbayev's son-in-law; the head of the 
internal KGB of Kazakhstan, another relative of the President, and the 
Chairman of the Supreme Court, a close personal friend of Mr. 
Nazarbayev, have written to Belgian police to initiate harassing 
investigations. This is an unacceptable way to treat an opposition 
leader.
  I wrote to Secretary of State Albright recently to express my concern 
for the well being of Mr. Kazhegeldin and this latest attempt by the 
Nazarbayev regime to silence his voice of democracy.
  The U.S. Department of State wrote to me on July 9, that ``we had 
made it clear to the highest levels of Kazakhstan's government that 
harassment of opposition figures is not acceptable.''
  I would like to read into the record another portion of that response 
to my letter to the Secretary of State.
  ``A fundamental component of U.S. policy in Kazakhstan is promotion 
of democracy and human rights. Local and parliamentary elections 
expected this fall will again test Kazakhstan's democracy and 
observance of fundamental human rights. We remain intensively engaged 
with the Kazakhstani government on democracy issues. Our message has 
been consistent and clear: long-term stability depends on actions now 
to build democracy and foster greater respect for fundamental human 
rights principles, including Kazakhstan's commitment of the OSCE. We 
have specifically urged the government to bring its legislation on 
elections, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media into 
accordance with international standards; schedule elections far enough 
in advance to give parties and candidates adequate time to prepare 
effective campaigns; register new parties and NGOs promptly in order to 
endure broad participation in the elections, including by candidates 
and groups critical of the government; and broaden the central and 
local election commissions to include non-governmental 
representatives.''
  Prior to the January presidential elections, Vice President Gore 
phoned President Nazarbayev and demanded that Mr. Kazhegeldin be 
allowed to run for the presidency in the elections earlier this year. 
Unfortunately, Mr. Nazarbayev totally ignored the request of the Vice 
President of the United States.
  The Nazarbayev government is determined to silence the voice of any 
viable opposition from being heard within Kazkhstan. It talks about 
democracy while it continues its autocratic and repressive conduct. No 
democracy, especially the United States government and this Congress, 
should tolerate such conduct.

                          ____________________