[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17409]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            URGING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN KAZAKHSTAN

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. ALAN B. MOLLOHAN

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. MOLLOHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to alert my colleagues to 
some growing concerns in Kazakhstan.
  As an ex-Soviet republic, Kazakhstan has made great strides in the 
past several decades. In fact, it was just 1991 when Kazakhstan became 
the last of the Soviet republics to declare its independence. Today, 
Kazakhstan serves as the Chair of the 56 member-nation Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
  While I commend Kazakhstan for the progress it has made over the past 
several decades toward becoming a more democratic nation, I am 
increasingly concerned about ongoing allegations of corruption, human 
rights abuses, human trafficking, religious persecution, election 
tampering and suppression of free speech within the nation. In recent 
years, I have seen reports indicating that Kazakhstan's governmental 
system lacks the basic rights of democracy--elections are often fraught 
with fraud; political opposition is suppressed; few independent media 
outlets exist; and respect for human rights, religious freedom, and 
freedom of speech is questionable.
  The United States has sought a mutually beneficial relationship with 
Kazakhstan and provides aid to Kazakhstan to enhance economic growth, 
democracy, security and humanitarian needs. We understand, because of 
Kazakhstan's centralized location between Europe and Asia, that it is 
in a unique position to help bridge East and West. However, I am 
concerned that the current U.S.-Kazakhstan relationship could be 
compromised and I think it is time we critically evaluate these very 
serious allegations.
  I applaud the work of the Helsinki Commission under the current 
leadership of Senator Ben Cardin, and previously, Congressman Alcee 
Hastings for their ongoing commitment to bringing these matters to 
light and I would urge my colleagues to take the time to look into this 
issue.

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