ALMATY, 20 October 2009 (HRW): The decision of a Kazakh court Tuesday to uphold the harsh verdict imposed on Kazakhstan’s leading human rights defender is a terrible miscarriage of justice, Human Rights Watch said.
The Almaty Province Court heard the appeal filed by Evgeniy Zhovtis, founding director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, of a September 3 ruling by a lower court.
He was found guilty of manslaughter following a motor vehicle accident in which a young man was killed and was sentenced to four years in prison. The investigation and trial that led to this verdict were procedurally flawed and did not give Zhovtis the opportunity to exercise fully his right to defend himself.
– Todays ruling is a blow for anyone who cares about fair trial standards in Kazakhstan, said Rachel Denber, Europe and Central Asia deputy director at Human Rights Watch, adding: – Zhovtis should have the right to justice.
Læs mere: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/20/kazakhstan-court-upholds-harsh-verdict
