Kazakhstan - August 2023
Wounds of Qandy Qantar remain untreated
Criminal trials against those who took part in Kazakhstan’s January 2022 ‘Qandy Qantar’ (Bloody January) unrest continue, with lawyers and human rights activists protesting a lack of evidence, procedural violations, the prosecution of individuals who died in the unrest, widespread torture of detainees, and the investigation’s lack of independence from the executive. Foreign and independent researchers have not been permitted to participate in investigatory processes, and relatives of Kazakhs who died during the unrest say their cases have been dismissed or classified without investigation.
