Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

VIENNA, 21 May 2010 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

Just conclusion urgently needed in Zhovtis case, OSCE PA's Mecacci reports

COPENHAGEN, 21 MAY 2010 - It is up to the Kazakh authorities to urgently find a just conclusion to the case of the human rights defender Yevgeny Zhovtis, Matteo Mecacci said in a report issued today after last week's visit with Mr. Zhovtis.

Mr. Zhovtis is serving a four year sentence at a penal colony in Ust-Kamenogorsk following a fatal traffic accident last year.

In his report to Joao Soares, the President of the OSCE Parliamentary, Mr. Mecacci, the Assembly's rapporteur on human dimension issues, also said that this case raises serious questions about the respect for the individual to receive a fair trial in Kazakhstan. Mr. Zhovtis has been subjected too long to a sentence he does not deserve, he reported, adding that the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship has a special responsibility, like all previous OSCE chairs, to make sure that the OSCE commitments in the field of human dimension are respected.

Mr. Mecacci (Italy) met last week in with Mr. Zhovtis, director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law. Domestic legal experts and international observers at the trial reported numerous procedural violations, and questioned whether he was given adequate ability to mount a defence. Opposition parties in Kazakhstan have also raised concerns about the sentencing.

Mr. Mecacci also expressed his disappointment that the press release issued immediately after last week's visit was not published on the OSCE website on instructions from the Kazakh Chairmanship.

Mr. Mecacci is the first OSCE PA representative to meet with Mr. Zhovtis in prison. The visit was conducted in agreement with the Kazakh authorities and supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana.

For the full report, please see the OSCE PA website at: www.oscepa.org