A socialist activist in Kazakhstan, Ainur Kurmanov has been sentenced to 15 days administrative arrest for peacful protest. Here is Joe’s protest message, and details of how you can send one too.
Aimur has been convicted of “organising on the 22nd July a non sanctioned meeting with the aim of planning a picket for handing a petition to the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev through the Almaty City Akim demanding the resignation of the government”!
This attack on an uncompromising fighter for workers and the poor in the Kazakhstan cannot be accepted. Please send protests to your local Kazakhstanian authorities and gp-rk@mail.online.kz with copies to Robert.cwi@gmail.com and copy and paste your email into the comments box on the top right.
Joe’s Letter of Protest
To Whom It May Concern:
I write to express my outrage at the arrest of Ainure Kurmanov for participating in a peaceful protest. I understand that he now faces 15 days in jail for participating in a protest which handed in a petition demanding the resignation of the government.
This is a disgraceful attempt to intimidate activists from protesting against the government and amounts to a very serious attack on democratic rights.
I intend to use my position as a Member of the European Parliament to publicise the case of Ainure internationally and any further attempts to cut across the democratic rights of activists in the workers and social movements.
Yours faithfully,
Joe Higgins MEP
Socialist Party (Ireland)
Ainur’s message of thanks
Ainur being released from prison
Dear Comrades,
I want to personally, and on behalf of Sotsialisticheskoe soprotivleniye Kazakhstan, warmly thank comrades for their help and support. As I left prison there were lots of supporters to meet me. I heard of the huge work that the CWI has done to organise such a big campaign of support – literally dozens of letters of support from over 30 countries – Venezuela, Malaysia, Sweden, France, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Britain and others. During the 15 days of my imprisonment there were pickets of the Kazakh diplomatic missions in New York, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Hong Kong! It should be specially noted the letter from the Member of the European Parliament and well-known socialist Joe Higgins.
With revolutionary greetings,
Ainur Kurmanov
CWI Kazakhstan
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