OSCE Centre promotes international standards on freedom of assembly legislation in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, 4 June 2009 - A roundtable discussion on reforming Kazakhstan's legislation on freedom of assembly was held in Almaty today.

The event was organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the National Commission on Human Rights under the President of Kazakhstan, Freedom House Kazakhstan, and the Kazakhstani International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

A four-day training course for human rights defenders in Kazakhstan on how to monitor and report on the freedom of assembly, organized by ODIHR, is also taking place this week.

"Holding peaceful assemblies is a fundamental freedom in democratic societies," said Eugenia Benigni, Human Dimension Officer at the OSCE Centre in Astana. "The OSCE Centre in Astana stands ready to co-operate with the Kazakhstani government, non-governmental organizations and international stakeholders to improve this important legislation in accordance with international standards and best practices."

The event brought together parliamentarians, government officials, local experts, members of the OSCE/ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly, diplomats and civil society representatives. Participants discussed international standards and OSCE commitments relating to freedom of assembly, including the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe's Venice Commission Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly.

Talks also focused on legislation and law enforcement practice on freedom of assembly in Kazakhstan, and recommendations to bring domestic legislation in line with international standards.

"According to Kazakhstan's National Action Plan on Human Rights for 2009-2011, it is necessary to improve domestic legislation on holding peaceful assemblies, meetings, rallies and demonstrations," said Tastemir Abishev, the Secretary of the Human Rights Commission under the President of Kazakhstan.

Neil Jarman, the Chair of the ODIHR Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly, added: "In developing domestic legislation Kazakhstan is encouraged to use the Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, which outline relevant international standards on freedom of assembly and illustrate key principles with examples of good practices from the OSCE region."

The Guidelines emphasize a state's obligation to protect peaceful assemblies, suggest that organizers notify the authorities of their intention to hold an assembly rather than having to seek permission, and argue that spontaneous and simultaneous assemblies should be facilitated by states as long as they are peaceful.

The roundtable discussion followed a multi-year project to monitor freedom of peaceful assembly in Kazakhstan, which was implemented by the OSCE Centre and the NGO Charter for Human Rights. The resulting report published in 2007 recommended reforming legislation and simplifying administrative regulations on places and timeframes for holding peaceful assemblies.