Kazakhstan: Vadim Kuramshin, human rights’ activist, starts hunger strike

International protests to Kazak authorities urgently needed!

Vadim Kuramshin, a human rights activist and lawyer for prisoners’ rights, who was falsely accused of bribery and corruption in Zhambylskaya Oblast, Kazakhstan, has started a hunger strike. This is a desperate and valiant attempt to get justice. Vadim insists on his basic democratic rights after being held in jail for six months.

Campaign Kazakhstan are calling for the court to re-convene immediately, with the jury in order to bring this case to a close; the immediate release of Vadim Kuramshin and the dropping of all charges against him; those who have attempted to sentence Vadim to years in prison, on the basis of false evidence and trumped-up charges, should themselves be held to account for their actions.

Please send urgent protests to the Kazakh embassy in your country and to the following:

Head of Regional Court

+7 7262 451219

[email protected]

Specialised regional Court for Criminal Cases

+7 7262 43-12-04

[email protected]

Please send copies to:- [email protected] and campaignkazakhstan.org

See [email protected] for more information and updates.

Model Letter of Protest:

Letter

To:

The Kazakh authorities

Judge Samat Tulesbai, presiding over the case of Vadim Kuramshin in the Zhambylskaya oblast

The Head of the Special Court for Criminal Cases in the Zhambylskaya oblast

The Head of the Criminal Court, Mr. Obydov

We have received news that Vadim Kuramshin, the human rights activist and lawyer for prisoners’ rights, falsely accused of bribery and corruption in Zhambylskaya Oblast, Kazakhstan, has started a hunger strike. This is a desperate and valiant attempt to get justice and insist on his basic democratic rights after being held in jail for six months already.

We demand that the court re-convene immediately with the jury in order to bring this case to a close.

We demand the immediate release of Vadim Kuramshin and the dropping of all charges against him.

We demand that those who have tried to sentence him to years in prison on the basis of false evidence and trumped up charges should themselves be held to account for their actions.

Please inform us on progress with these demands.

There are supporters of Campaign Kazakhstan in fifty countries on all five continents. It will make even more noise internationally if these demands are not immediately acceded to.

It will also continue to campaign against any government entering talks or any business or political relations with the Kazakhstan regime until genuine democracy is established in that country.

Yours in protest etc,

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