The ITUC has
denounced the sentencing of Nurbek Kushakbayev, Deputy Chairperson of the
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, to two-and-a-half
years in prison in connection with calls for a strike at the Oil Construction
Company. The Astana City Court No. 2 of
Almaty District added a €75,000 fine for “damages” to the prison term.
Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said, “We call on
the authorities in Kazakhstan to ensure this completely unjust verdict is
annulled, and that Nurbek Kushakbayev be freed. He and the other trade
unionists being persecuted by the authorities should be allowed to carry out
their legitimate trade union activities in accordance with the right of all
workers in the country to freedom of association. This verdict will further
damage Kazakhstan’s reputation with other countries that are important to its
economy.”
Kushakbayev was convicted under Article 402 of the
Criminal Code – the first time this article has been applied.
To sign the LabourStart petition on Kazakhstan, click
here: https://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=3386
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