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According to information received from Kazakhstan’s international bureau on human rights and observance of law Kanat Tusupbekov, employee of the independent television and radio company “Irbis”, was taken into custody in the courtroom in Pavlodar city (where Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, one of the leaders of democratic opposition, is detained) on June 18. “Irbis” was subject to persecution of authorities after it tried to cover without bias prosecution of Zhakiyanov and connected with him events in Pavlodar city. Two months ago, Kanat Tusupbekov was beaten up by three strangers in one of Pavlodar’s cafeteria. Police officers, sent for by the cafeteria employees, brought him to the building of the municipal police, along with fight participants. According to available data, having learnt that Kanat wrote a statement regarding the incident, he was beaten by feet and his head against the wall in the investigator’s office. Only the next morning his wife took away badly beaten Kanat Tusupbekov from the building of the Department of Internal Affairs. According to conclusion of judicial medial experts, Kanat had two broken ribs, severe head concussion, not mentioning bruises and grazes all over his body. Kanat wrote a statement about what happened to prosecutor demanding to punish those individuals, who are guilty of beating him in the police building. However, the prosecutor’s office refused to initiate a criminal case based on his statement. Vice versa, criminal case was initiated based on statement of individuals, who attacked him, accusing him of hooliganism. Kanat Tusupbekov told his colleagues that police administration demanded from him to withdraw the statement and give refutation on the given incident. However, Kanat refused to do it. The trial took place on June 18 and the judge of municipal court of Pavlodar city Igor Tarasenko found Kanat Tusupbekov guilty of assaulting three people. According to the court decision employee of the television and radio company “Irbis” Kanat Tusupbekov was sentenced to two years of imprisonment. Kazakhstan’s international bureau on human rights and observance of legality June 27, 2002 |
