An atmosphere of quiet repression

While Kazakhstan is not a country with frequent or dramatic government crackdowns on freedoms and human rights, when it comes to exercising fundamental rights such as worship, press freedom, and assembly, Kazakhstan's people live in an atmosphere that is far more circumscribed and fearful than one would expect of a country that will soon take on the leadership of an organization grounded in human rights principles. This report documents human rights violations in these three areas. It analyzes overly restrictive measures, and draft laws that fail to correct them. It describes the often subtle but effective methods the government uses to prevent people from fully exercising these rights. Kazakhstan should implement, soon, consistently, and meaningfully the human rights reforms it has promised the OSCE and which are required of it as an OSCE participating state. In so doing, Kazakhstan would provide an important positive example to other countries of Central Asia.