Human rights activists remind the authorities of Kazakhstan: freedom from torture is an absolute right. It is said in an appeal of the Jalal-Abad human rights organization Spravedlivost (Justice) to the authorities of Kazakhstan.
It specifies that the lawyers are concerned about the fate of Kyrgyzstanis staying in Kazakhstan. They remind the authorities of Kazakhstan about human rights, which need to be respected regardless of the current situation.
«We constantly work with victims of torture, so our experience allows us to understand if a person was subjected to any external pressure. The condition of the famous jazz musician Vikram Ruzakhunov clearly shows that physical and psychological pressure was applied to him,» Nurislam Raiymzhanov, a lawyer of the human rights organization, says.
We remind that freedom from torture is an absolute human right. Torture is not allowed even in times of war, let alone its use against an innocent person.
Nurislam Raiymzhanov
The human rights defenders remind that Kazakhstan joined the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1998, thereby undertaking to observe it strictly.
«The authorities of Kyrgyzstan must firmly defend the rights of every citizen. The case of the jazz musician should be a signal to them. Our authorities should not limit themselves to releasing him, but demand from the Kazakh authorities to investigate and punish those responsible,» the human rights activists added.
At the same time, they welcome the reaction of the Ministry of Justice, which has sent a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office to initiate a criminal investigation into the use of torture against Vikram Ruzahunov, as well as an international order — a request to Kazakhstan to conduct necessary investigative actions against relevant law enforcement officials of the neighboring country in accordance with the provisions of the Chisinau Convention on Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters.
A video was published recently, in which a man says that he came to Kazakhstan to participate in a rally in Almaty. The man was recognized as the head of a jazz orchestra from Bishkek Vikram Ruzakhunov. Earlier, one of the local Kazakh TV channels showed a story, when one of the detainees said that he came from Kyrgyzstan. The report says that some people called the Kyrgyzstani on January 1 and offered to participate in the rally for $ 200. The footage shows that there are traces of possible beating on the man’s face. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan are clarifying the details of the incident.
«We are sure that the detained Vikram Ruzakhunov and other our compatriots who found themselves in such a situation are the victims of the gruesome plans of the forces that provoked dramatic events in fraternal Kazakhstan,» the State Committee for National Security commented.
The musician had been released the day before.
