Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court reviewed on January 20 the law on organizing and holding peaceful assemblies and found it in compliance with the Constitution. Meanwhile the authorities denied permission to hold a feminist rally and detained a number of activists.
Citizens who were barred from holding a peaceful rally two years ago had appealed to the Court, questioning the constitutionality of the law. Several human rights defenders and activists have repeatedly criticized the 2020 law, which essentially limits the right to freedom of assembly.
At a press conference on January 21, the promoters of a feminist rally for International Women’s Day said the Almaty city administration had refused them permission to hold a rally 40 times in the past year alone. Every year, months ahead of time, feminist organizations ask the local administration to hold a rally for March 8. The last feminist march was held three years ago.
On January 21, activist Akmaral Dzhakibayeva staged a solo protest outside Almaty’s National Opera and Ballet Theater, holding a placard that showed a drawing of herself above an ironic text: “Akmaral Dzhakibayeva was put in administrative detention for 15 days because of a placard,” foretelling her arrest. Unsurprisingly, she was detained shortly afterwards.
On the same day, in the northern city of Kostanai, activist Sergey Zinchenko stood outside the local drama theater holding a jacket with the slogan “Satire is not a crime” taped to its back. The police quickly moved to arrest him.
These were the third and fourth consecutive arrests of solo protesters outside Almaty’s flagship theater. Activists have come out in support of Temirlan Yensebek, the creator of satirical news site QazNews24, who was arrested on January 17. The police later clarified that Yensebek was arrested for “posting material containing clear signs of inciting ethnic hatred.”
According to Yelena Shvetsova, the director of the public foundation Erkindik Qanaty, censorship and control in Kazakhstan is noticeably increasing every year.
“Although the president constantly talks about the concept of a 'listening state,' it seems that these are just words. Instead of really listening to its people, the government puts pressure on those who express any criticism,” Shvetsova told Vlast.
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