Known Centers based in Kazakhstan
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Year Established:1995
Short Historical Background
The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization established in February 1993 by Yevgeniy Zhovtis and associates. KIBHR was officially registered in 1995. Currently, the KIBHR consists of two centers: 1) Human Rights Protection Center - working on the analysis of legislations, consultations on human rights, development of human rights programs, and 2) Informational- Educational Center - focusing on development and implementation of educational programs and informational campaigns, providing information support to the KIBHR’s work and programs.
Objectives
KIBHR aims
1) To study reforms of mechanisms for the exercise and protection of inalienable human rights and freedoms
2) To develop an information network of non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) human rights defenders, press monitoring and reporting in the region to alert the international, local and foreign NGOs , and State officials about the political, social, economic and inter-ethnic situation in the country and the implementation of international obligations by Kazakhstan in the field of human rights
3) To promote the development of large-scale international support for the democratic reforms in Kazakhstan
4) To render assistance in the preparation of draft laws, associated with human rights, analyze existing legislations, and promote reforms of the judicial and penitentiary systems
5) To promote the stabilization of political, economic and social situation in the country and the success of democratic forces
6) To interact with the executive authorities and provide public support to their decisions, if these decisions implement and protect the inalienable human rights and freedoms
7) To prepare and disseminate information and materials, including those from abroad, to propagate and support human rights
8) To monitor human rights situations and promote their full protection
9) To assist in protecting the rights of individuals and groups
10) To enlighten, educate and develop human rights training programs
11) To promote the development of a democratic legal state and open civil society in Kazakhstan and other States.
Programs and Activities
Given the political situation in the country, the work of the KIBHR focuses on several key programs relating to political and civil rights. KIBHR priorities at the current stage are as follows:
• Advocacy of internationally recognized human rights standards in Kazakhstan
• Monitoring of political and civil rights
• Monitoring of fundamental political and civil rights (including freedom of assembly and association, freedom of movement and rights to asylum, fair trial, free elections, and freedom from torture) includes gathering information on observance of these rights by the government, and disseminating to the domestic and international audiences findings on human rights violations and compliance with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations obligations.
• Legal education of citizens and civil servants on international human rights standards and national legislation KIBHR continues to disseminate information on human rights standards and best practices by organizing or taking part in seminars and conferences, as well as by producing guides, reviews and other relevant publications. Students, representatives of organizations, civil servants and the general public participate in these activities, even though the opportunities to hold them have become increasingly limited.
• Providing expertise and consulting services to promote and improve civil society’s dialogue with the government Despite the fact that dialogue between the human rights organizations and the government is now yielding limited results, KIBHR continues to provide expertise and consulting support, comment on legislative initiatives affecting civil and political rights, review current laws both at the national and regional levels, analyze compliance of laws with international standards, and engage in debate with public officials on legal aspects. KIBHR also comments and presents opinions on government policies and practices.
• Providing legal aid to individuals and organizations that seek protection of their civil or political rights KIBHR provides legal assistance to individuals through its offices across the country. Currently consisting mainly of violation of political rights, KIBHR monitors politically motivated trials and test cases, assists citizens in drafting legal appeals, consults on applicability of international laws, and petitions or lodges complaints to state bodies on behalf of individual claimants. KIBHR also addresses state bodies with appeals, statements and requests, drawing their attention to the provisions of international treaties ratified by Kazakhstan and advocating incorporation of international human rights standards in the domestic law and practice. KIBHR also actively assists citizens in drafting complaints and applications to the United Nations human rights treaty bodies, including the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture.
• KIBHR long-term vision: building capacity and preparing for future legal reform and civil society development once the conditions change to support these goals exists Global processes, interdependence among different states, removal of borders in the Internet space with large-scale exchange of ideas, knowledge and information are factors that drive political change across the globe and demonstrate that there is no real alternative to democratic development and rule of law. Thus KIBHR adopts a forward-thinking strategic approach aimed at getting ready to drive democratic reform when the situation in the country changes for the better occurs. KIBHR’s long-term approach entails developing concept papers, outlining reforms and drafting programs that can be accepted once political will to implement democratic reform and promote rule of law exists.
Publications
Movies and videos
• Combating Torture in Central Asia, under the project “Combating Torture in Central Asia” (2008)
• Three Pillars of Truth, under the project “A Coordinated Civil Society Campaign for Fundamental Rights in Central Asia” (2012)
• TV programs “Know Your Rights” in Russian and Kazakh languages.
Print:
• Human Rights Situation in Kazakhstan (electronic version)
• Human Rights in Kazakhstan and Abroad (2000-2003) - monthly bulletin
• Booklets on refugees, migrants and stateless persons
• Booklets on rights of child
• Booklets on the right not to be subjected to torture and other cruel treatment and punishment
• Booklets on freedom of Assembly
• Human Rights in Journalism, manual for students of media faculties
• Collection of international documents on human rights (in eight volumes in Russian language, two volumes in Kazakh language)
• Unique electronic “Library on Human Rights” consisting of more than 10,000 documents (in Russian language)
• Notes from prison colonist and other articles and letters from captivity (a compilation of materials of Yegeniy Zhovtis, director of the KIBHR, while he was imprisoned)
• Kill the Dragon, compilation of articles of Sergey Duvanov, KIBHR’s journalist.
• Reports KIBHR and partners organizations prepare shadow reports for presentation in the United Nations human rights treaty bodies (under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Convention Against Torture, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination). It also prepares its own reports on freedom of assembly in Kazakhstan, Presidential elections in Kazakhstan, etc.
Other Information
The head office of KIBHR is located in Almaty, with nine branches and two representative offices in the regions of the country.
Address
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR)
Rooms 404-405, 57 Masanchi
Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480012
ph (3272) 92-08-41
ph/fax: (3272) 62-68-11
e-mail: omaz[a]omaz.almaty.kz