Kazakhstan
During the last seven years the workers of Kazakhstan are being deprived of their most fundamental rights. Thousands of plants, factories and state-owned enterprises are being closed. The unemployment has reached unprecedented rates. But those who are lucky enough to get a job face another problem - not being paid. One has to wait up to a year to get one's miserable salary. The vast majority of the Kazakh population lives below the poverty line. This has became the main reason for various protests recently staged all over the Republic. There has been unrest in the mining regions of Karaganda, Kentau, Dzhambul, in the capital - the city of Alma-Ata as well as in many other regions of Kazakhstan. Almost all of them have been organized by the workers' movement of Kazakhstan. Its well-known leader a construction worker Model Ismailov is among the first political victims of the Nazarbayev regime. Last year Ismailov was detained under the false pretext of illegal organization of a rally of protest against the announced rise of prices for housing, gas, electricity, water. He was sentenced then to one year of imprisonment, but lately set free as a result of the international solidarity campaign. This year he has been arrested once again, this time being charged with insulting the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Last year in his public speech Ismailov qualified the political regime in his country as inhuman and undemocratic. The political trial was held behind closed doors. Not a single journalist was let in. The workers' leader was sentenced to a year in prison. He is on hunger strike since last month and faces serious health problems.
We, members of democratic organisations and individuals of India, strongly protest against the attacks of the Kazakhstan government on the democratic rights of the working class and the victimisation of the workers' leader Model Ismailov. We call upon the Kazakhstan government to release him immediately.
| K.G. Kannabiran | President, People's Union for Civil Liberties, India. |
| M.T. Khan | President, Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee. |
| Sehjo Singh | People's Union for Civil Liberties. |
| Anoop Saraya | People's Union for Civil Liberties. |
| A. Anantha Reddy | President, All India Lawyers Union, Andhra Pradesh State Committee, Hyderabad. |
| P.K. Shahi | All India Federation of Trade Unions. |
| Vikas Bajpai | Indian Federation of Trade Unions. |
| A.M. Daur | Hindustan Mazdur Sabha. |
| Ashim Roy | Hind Mazdur Kisan Panchayat. |
| Manohar Sodhi | Convenor, Deprived People's Front. |
| Amar Singh Amar | Sangam Development Centre. |
| R.L. Kain | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Vichar Manch. |
| Ranjana Padhi | Saheli |
| Shamsul Islam | Nishant Natya Manch. |
| Sumanta Banerjee | Journalist. |
| Praful Bidwai | Journalist. |
| Achin Vanaik | Journalist. |
| Sudipto Sen | Filmmaker |
| Piyush Kanti Mukherjee | Artist |
| Milind Bharadwaj | Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. |
| Savyasachi | Jamia Millia Islamia. |
| Neeladri Bhattacharya | Jawaharlal Nehru University. |
| Kamal M. Chenoy | Jawaharlal Nehru University. |
| A.M. Chenoy | Jawaharlal Nehru University. |
| Dalip Swamy | University of Delhi. |
| Sumit Sarkar | University of Delhi. |
| Shaswati Mazumdar | University of Delhi. |
| H.B. Mehndiratta | Samajwadi Shikshak Manch, Delhi University. |
| V.K. Khurana | Left and Democratic Teachers' Front. |
| Tripta Wahi | Forum for Democratic Struggle. |
| G.B. Upreti | Nav Janwadi Shikshak Manch. |
| Ranjana Saxena | ÁShikshak Adhikar Manch. |
| Sadashiv | Dyal Singh College. |
| Nandita Narain | St. Stephen's College. |
| Badri Raina | Kirori Mal College. |
| Tanika Sarkar | St. Stephen's College. |
| Sunil Kumar | Democratic Students' Union. |
| Kamlesh Kumar | Progressive Students' Union. |
| Dileep Kumar | All India Students' Association. |
| Mrigank | Progressive Democratic Students' Union. |
| Dhwajendra Dhawal | Naujawan Bharat Sabha. |
| Hemant Singh | Naujawan Sabha, Delhi. |
| I. Mallikarjuna Sharma | Convener, Marxist Study Forum, Hyderabad. |
| Amrish | Delhi Medicos and Scientists Front. |
| Subhash Gatade | Editor, Lok Dasta. |
| C.N. Subramaniam | Editor, Revolutionary Democracy. |
| Tarkeshwar Ojha | Patna. |
| Rajesh Tyagi | Janpaksh |
| Narendra | CPI (ML) Jan Pratirodh, Bihar |
| Shakti | Sarvahara Chetna Kendra |
| Sunil Sen | Centre for Marxism-Leninism |
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