Kazakhstan's non-profit human rights organization calls on Tokayev to release Mukhtar Zhakishev

AKIPRESS.COM - The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) released a statement concerning the decision of West Kazakhstan regional court to uphold the refusal to release the former head of Kazatomprom Mukhtar Zhakishev on parole.
The organization claims that the case has a political background and that authorities are putting Zhakishev to torture.
The court of West Kazakhstan region upheld the decision of the first instance on refusal to release Zhakishev on parole. The regional court did not consider Zhakishev's poor health condition, serving of his 2/3 terms of sentence, absent of disciplinary records, disability of third group while issuing the verdict, according to the statement.
The organization said Zhakishev can not physically confiscate the damage established by court being in a prison.
The statement also underlined "selectiveness" of the Kazakhstani justice system towards convicts, especially towards former high-ranked officials.
Therefore, the human rights organization noted that another groundless refusal to release Zhakishev proves conclusively that there is a political reason in Zhakishev's case.
The organization said Zhakishev's health condition will get worse and this may could to fatal consequences.
The KIBHR reminded that failure to provide medical assistance to convicts equals to torture, according to the resolution of the UN General Assembly of 1988. In this regard, the organization required the Kazakh authorities and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to stop torturing of Zhakishev and called on the international organizations, politicians, human rights activists to require the Kazakh authorities to resolve this issue.