According to the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), on November 9, outspoken Kazakh human rights advocate and World Movement Steering Committee member, Yevgeniy Zhovtis, filed a complaint with the UN to challenge his conviction and sentence, which he asserts was imposed to silence him. In a 75-page communication to the UN Human Rights Committee by OSJI and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law of which Mr. Zhovtis is the director, he contends that his trial was unfair and his punishment degrading.

 

On July 26, 2009, Mr. Zhovtis was involved in a car accident, resulting in the tragic death of a pedestrian. It is clear to many observers and experts that Kazakhstani authorities exploited this unfortunate accident to politicize the investigation and punish Mr. Zhovtis for his human rights work, evidenced by the fact that the investigation and the subsequent trial were rife with procedural violations. Mr. Zhovtis was convicted and sentenced to serve a four-year prison term on September 3, 2009. The Steering Committee of the World Movement has issued several statements in support of Mr. Zhovtis and his appeal process.

 

To read the announcement from OSJI, go to: www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus/criminal_justice/news/zhovtis-kazakhstan-20101104?utm_source=Open+Society+Justice+Initiative&utm_campaign=91729dcdd3-jsutice-asia-europe-cj-mailing-20101110&utm_medium=email

 

To read the complaint filed with the UN Human Rights Committee, go to: www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/litigation/zhovtis

 

To read previous alerts on Mr. Zhovtis’ case, go to: www.wmd.org/networking/central-and-eastern-europe-eurasia/spotlight/central-asia#zhovtis