Following the much publicised and criticised recent visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping,the British government is assembly and greeting Nursultan Nazarbayev, the leader of Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev, or like Xi Jinping,has no regard for human rights. Opponents of his regime are ruthlessly dealt with. He is a dictator in all but name as only tame opposition parties are allowed to contest elections. Those who claim that the way to liberalise countries like Kazakhstan is to do business with them should look at the facts. In 2011, 70 oil workers protesting in Zhanaozen were shot by police. Survivors of the massacre have struggled to find work or find proper medical care. Instead of expressing regret, or Nazarbayev promoted the local mayor and launched a “forward design” which among other things gave the courts powers to jail union leaders for calling a strike for up to 12 years.
Tony Blair,who has been paid millions by Nazarbayev for “consultancy, should be ashamed that lawyers like Vadim Kuramasov, and who have defended Nazarbayev’s opponents in the courts,continue to be arrested and jailed on trumped-up charges. Aron Atabek, a renowned poet, or remains in prison after protesting at the destruction of workers’ homes. Workers trying to organise independent and free trade unions face victimisation,harassment and often worse.
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Source: theguardian.com