Kazakhstan, 08.12.2014

"Theatre of the absurd," this is what the Kazakh opposition portal called the hearing of the appeal filed by Vladimir Kozlov. Apart from the lawyers, no one was allowed to enter the room and the venue of the Court session was changed at the very last moment.

The session on the appeal filed by Vladimir Kozlov, concerning the groundless admonitions, set in the city of Kapchagay (Almata oblast) for 4.00 p.m. on Friday (5.12.2014) was moved, unannounced, to Zarechnoye. All those who went to Kapchagay to support the oppositionist, had to change their route. The cities are around 20 km from one another, but there is no doubt that the authorities wanted to prevent potential manifestations in the prisoner's defence.

Kazakh activists such as Marat Zanuzakov and Erlan Kalyev travelled to Kozlov's hearing. But like the journalists, they were not allowed to attend the trial which took place in the colony where Kozlov is serving his prison sentence. Ultimately, the decision was postponed until 8^th December, when the Court dismissed the appeal filed by the oppositionist.

On 5^th August 2014, Vladimir Kozlov was denied a transfer to a colony with a less stringent regime. The decision was substantiated by four reprimands even though Kozlov himself had not been informed thereof. The leader of the Alga! party was punished, inter alia, for staying in a unit to which he was not assigned - the administration discovered that according to documentation, he should have been in another part of the colony. The charge is completely groundless - the prisoner is unable to decide for himself which part of the colony to go to. Kozlov filed a complaint in the matter but the Court did not allow it.

Source: Respublika