Travesty of justice as Appeal Court revokes earlier court decision to release Vadim
Well-known human rights activist, Vadim Kuramshin, is facing a new court trial and a lengthy prison sentence.
Campaign Kazakhstan announced that the Appeal Court of the Zhambul region of Kazakhstan has decided to revoke the decision of a jury at Vadim Kuramshin’s previous court trial (the jury found Vadim not guilty on all but one minor charge). The Appeal Court has now decided to re-open the case following further investigations (http://campaignkazakhstan.org/index.php/2012/10/31/vadim-kuramshin-facing-arrest-and-new-trial/)
Vadim Kuramshin was arrested on 23 January this year. He was charged with extorting money from the public prosecutor, Mukhtar Uderbaev, whom Vadim himself wanted to take legal action against. The whole trial clearly violated the country’s Criminal Procedure Code and was constantly postponed, causing Vadim to declare a hunger strike in order to get the court to reconvene.
On 28 August, the Taraz city court pronounced sentence on Vadim. Rather than condemn Kuramshin to 14 years imprisonment in a special regime colony as the state prosecutor asked, the court judge, Samat Tolesbay, decided to release Vadim, with just one year of conditional bail.
Today however the Appeal Court has revoked that decision. Vadim is once again facing arrest and a new trial that could lead to a lengthy sentence.
Please protest against this latest travesty of justice and serious threat against the well-known human rights’ activist.
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