Charge with 10-Year Sentence Reinstated Against Kazakhstan Opposition Figure

Click to expand Image Kazakh opposition politician Zhanbolat Mamai speaks during an interview in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 28, 2022.  © 2022 Pavel Mikheyev/REUTERS As Kazakhstan gears up for parliamentary elections this spring, the Almaty City Prosecutor’s office on January 26 charged the opposition leader of the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, Zhanbolat Mamay, with “organizing mass riots,” for his alleged role in the January 2022 protests in Almaty. The charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Oddly, this “new” charge comes just two months after the prosecutor’s…

© Human Rights Watch - vendredi 3 février 2023