Evgeniy Zhovtis was finally released from jail on 17 February 2012 after a court decision made on 1 February 2012, granting amnesty to him was enforced. The amnesty was initially proclaimed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev on 28 December 2011 as the country marked 20 years of independence. The amnesty covered certain categories of individuals charged and or convicted for crimes considered to be of low or medium severity and Evgeniy’s case fell under this category.
Evgeniy Zhovtis who is the founder of the Kazakhstan’s International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law was accused of “manslaughter” in 2009 following an incident in which he accidentally knocked down a pedestrian while driving at night on the highway. He was convicted of “violating traffic regulations which caused the death of a person” and sentenced to four years in jail in September 2009 in what was clearly a politically motivated trial and a form of retribution for his criticism of the human rights record of Kazakhstan. He was also banned from driving for a period of three years. The trial was full of procedural flaws and the judge in question chose to disregard crucial evidence presented by Mr. Zhovtis’s lawyers at the trial. The court only allowed witnesses presented by the prosecution to provide evidence and testify during the trial. Even though the defence pleaded with the court to allow independent experts to testify in the case, the judge rejected such pleas. In 2010 and appeal filed in by the defence was rejected.
CIVICUS welcomes the release of Evgeniy Zhovtis but reminds the authorities in Kazakhstan to respect the fundamental rights of its citizens including the rights to free speech and association.
For more information:
Kazakhstan: Front Line visit to imprisoned human rights defender Evgeniy Zhovtis gives little hope of imminent release
Kazakhstan: Front Line visit to imprisoned human rights defender Evgeniy Zhovtis gives little hope of imminent release
Kazakhstan: Review Rights Defender’s Harsh Sentence – Human Rights Watch