Overview of Human Rights in Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan is a multiparty democracy but is essentially ruled by one party, President Nursltan Nazarbaev’s Otan Party. The December 2004 election in which Nazarbaev won his third 7-year term fell short of international standards. The government’s human rights record is marred by several serious violations. In the past year, legislation has been enacted, which has expanded the authority of the executive branch and eroded legal protections for human rights. Members of the security forces routinely torture, beat and otherwise mistreat detainees and prisoners. Arbitrary arrest and detention, especially of political dissidents or political opponents, are problems. Prison conditions are harsh and extremely unhealthy. The judiciary is not independent of the rest of the government and therefore it is virtually impossible for those who dissent against the government to receive a fair trial. The government infringes on the privacy of citizens, and new legislation grants prosecutors the authority to monitor individuals. Those who are not ethnically Kazakh are discriminated against both by the government and society as a whole. Freedoms of the press, religion, assembly, and association are also limited arbitrarily by the government. Discrimination against people with disabilities and children is widespread, as is human trafficking.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

79th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.