Kazakhstan Human rights’ activist, Vadim Karamshim, arrested while protesting prison

[Crux]

Kazakhstan

Human rights’ activist, Vadim Karamshim, arrested while protesting prison regime brutality

www.socialistworld.net, 06/10/2010
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI
Urgent messages of protest needed!
CWI Reporters, Moscow
On 6 October, at 1800 hrs local time (1400 hours Central European Time) Vadim Karamshin and Zhumagali Omanbayev, brother of a prisoner in the 40th Colony Dolinka in Shakhtinsk, near Karaganda, Kazakhstan, were arrested, following a day in which they tried unsuccessfully to get a meeting with the prison administration. They were trying to get permission to meet with a prisoner, Spandiyar Shymyrkulov, who, on his arrival at the Colony, was apparently beaten up and put in the punishment cell allegedly for refusing to clean a toilet.



As they were leaving the prison building, Vadim and Zhumagali were arrested by operatives of the Shakhtinsk Police and staff of the Committee for the Criminal Investigation System (National prison administration) and taken to the local police station. When Vadim asked on what basis he was being arrested, Police Major Kashkynov told him that he had information from certain persons involved in drug trafficking. These people remain anonymous. The arrested understand that this is another provocation by the special services and have refused to sign a statement as they can see no reason for their arrest and nor have they broken any laws. Nevertheless the police continue to pressurize Zhumagali Omanbayev to turn down help form the Prisoner Rights Defender Vadim Karamshin, telling him that it will only make things worse for his brother.
At the moment, Vadim and Zhumagali are in the cells at the police station in Shakhtinsk and are being held without explanation.
We are concerned that the special services will organize a provocation and fabricate either new administrative of criminal charges against Vadim and his collegues.



We call for urgent protests. Please phone the Shakhtinsk police station (++7 72156 42370), demanding Vadim’s release, and/or send protests to your nearest Kazakhstan Embassy.

[Kiev Communard]

Kazakhstan

Human rights’ activist, Vadim Karamshim, arrested while protesting prison regime brutality

www.socialistworld.net, 06/10/2010
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI
Urgent messages of protest needed!
CWI Reporters, Moscow
On 6 October, at 1800 hrs local time (1400 hours Central European Time) Vadim Karamshin and Zhumagali Omanbayev, brother of a prisoner in the 40th Colony Dolinka in Shakhtinsk, near Karaganda, Kazakhstan, were arrested, following a day in which they tried unsuccessfully to get a meeting with the prison administration. They were trying to get permission to meet with a prisoner, Spandiyar Shymyrkulov, who, on his arrival at the Colony, was apparently beaten up and put in the punishment cell allegedly for refusing to clean a toilet.



As they were leaving the prison building, Vadim and Zhumagali were arrested by operatives of the Shakhtinsk Police and staff of the Committee for the Criminal Investigation System (National prison administration) and taken to the local police station. When Vadim asked on what basis he was being arrested, Police Major Kashkynov told him that he had information from certain persons involved in drug trafficking. These people remain anonymous. The arrested understand that this is another provocation by the special services and have refused to sign a statement as they can see no reason for their arrest and nor have they broken any laws. Nevertheless the police continue to pressurize Zhumagali Omanbayev to turn down help form the Prisoner Rights Defender Vadim Karamshin, telling him that it will only make things worse for his brother.
At the moment, Vadim and Zhumagali are in the cells at the police station in Shakhtinsk and are being held without explanation.
We are concerned that the special services will organize a provocation and fabricate either new administrative of criminal charges against Vadim and his collegues.



We call for urgent protests. Please phone the Shakhtinsk police station (++7 72156 42370), demanding Vadim’s release, and/or send protests to your nearest Kazakhstan Embassy.

I participated in the protest concerning the arrest of Ainur Kurmanov last spring. It seems that the Kazakhstani regime continues on its bloody policies - nothing unusual for it.

[Crux]

Kazakhstan

Vadim Khuramshin released from police custody without charge

www.socialistworld.net, 07/10/2010
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI
Harassment and threats will not stop struggle for prison and democratic rights
CWI Reporters, Moscow

Some time after a police station in Shakhtinsk, near Karaganda, Kazakhstan, received a phone call on behalf of Socialist Party (CWI in Ireland) MEP, Joe Higgins, Vadim Khuramshin and Zhumagali Omanbayev were released without charge. They had been arrested earlier in the day outside the 40th Colony Dolinka, following a day in which they tried unsuccessfully to get a meeting with the prison administration.
Vadim reported that the local police chief claimed that the decision to detain them was not his but an order from above, although he would not say who from. But this did not stop the police from mistreating the two. While in the police station, Vadim and Zhumagali were taken into separate rooms - they threatened Zhumagali ,saying things could get worse for his brother (who is in Dolinka), and that if he did not get Vadim to leave the city things would be made bad for Zhamagali too.
It seems quite clear the police were getting ready to frame Vadim on drugs charges: when he demanded to know why he had been arrested, he was told that an "anonymous informant" had said he was carrying drugs. After initially denying that there was anyone detained at the station, Joe Higgins’ representative was told that they did have a “Vadim” detained and that apparently his detention was linked with drugs. If that had been the case, they would not have released him without charge.
Last week, Manfred Nowak, the UN Rapporteur on Torture, was in Kazakhstan and met with Vadim and a group of prisoners relatives. At the end of his visit, senior Kazakhstan government representatives agreed that they would try and find some way of working with Vadim. When Vadim was asked to comment on whether this latest provocation made a farce out of these promises, he said that the tops of the authorities can no longer control what is going on, and that there are different groups in the government contradicting each other. This confirms the analysis made by the CWI in Kazakhstan; that despite the outward image of a strong, united government, in fact, there is a big struggle going on behind the scenes. Indeed the Kazakhstan media, over the last few weeks, has concentrated on the uncovering of an alleged coup attempt against the ruling clique around President Nazarbayev.
Vadim Kuramshin sends his thanks to those who sent protests on his behalf.