TASHKENT, Jun 25
(AFP)
Human rights activists slammed Uzbekistan�s Supreme Court this week for conducting what they say is a biased and farcical trial of 22 men accused of setting off six bombs in the capital on Feb. 16.
Ten of the 22 men, who are members of the Moslem sect Hizbi-Takhrir and other organizations, face the death penalty for their role in the bombings in the Uzbek capital which killed 16 people and wounded 128. The remaining 12 suspects face 14 to 20 years in prison.
�This is a trial of people based on their religious beliefs and also an infringement on the citizens� freedom of religion,� said Acacia Shields of Human Rights Watch.
Human rights observers say six of the defendants were in police custody on unrelated charges when the bombings were carried out and, therefore, were unlikely to have been directly involved in the attacks.
The government �dragged them (the defendants) out of prison, they are trying them again and now they are adding to their earlier crimes the new accusations of organizing and carrying out this terrorist act,� said Mikhail Ardzinov, head of Human Rights of Uzbekistan.
�During the preparation and carrying out of the bombings these people were in prison,� he added.
Defense attorney Zukhra Makhkamova said that her client, Bakhrom Abdullayev, was arrested in October 1998 in Turkmenistan for carrying a falsified passport.
�For four months he was located in a basement of the security organs. He could not have known about the preparation of the bombings,� Makhkamova said.
�The investigation against my client was one-sided in favor of the prosecution.�
State prosecutors accuse Abdullayev of sending young Uzbeks to Russias breakaway republic of Chechnya for military training and participating in meetings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey where the bombings were planned.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov, who rules this Central Asian country of 24 million with an iron hand, said the bombings were an attempt on his life by religious fanatics. The president escaped uninjured.
But under Uzbek law Karimov was required to testify as a victim at the trial, said another defense attorney, Khasan Maksudov.
When the lawyer pointed this out in court, Judge Abdusamat Polvan-zade said that the Supreme Court itself would represent the presidents interests.
�The court does not have the right to be a representative of one of the sides, not the accused and not the victims. The court needs to be independent,� Maksudov said.
The court was also criticized court testimony in which witnesses simply described the bombings without being examined by lawyers from either side.
�In this process the state was not able to prove that the defendants were directly connected with the organization of the bombings,� Shields said.
Such practices were not lost on some Uzbek citizens, who have been actively criticizing the government during the course of the 10-day trial.
This month hundreds of the defendants� supporters were arrested for passing out pro-Hizbi-Takhrir leaflets in Tashkent bazaars and other public places, Shields said.
�The fact that the leaflets were distributed is a protest against the government�s actions in relation to the members of religious organizations,� she added.
Though no formal verdict has been handed down in the case, the court said the defendants will be sentenced on Monday.
Gulbanu ABENOVA
ASTANA, June 27 (THE GLOBE)
�I am sure that Kazakhstan being rich in land, having a developed agriculture may transform from an importer of foodstuff to an exporter,� the Canadian businessmen headed the enterprise in Kzylorda region announced in Astana at �AgroProdExpo-99� exhibition.
Rob Smith, the director of the agricultural enterprise �Hurricane Karaozek� believes that there is no reason to import foodstuff to Kazakhstan, while the country has everything to produce it here.
According to Mr. Smith, at present the food industry is not strong, and the government should encourage the producer, for example, by reduction of taxes. If the producer is interested, the customer as well will be interested to buy products produced in Kazakhstan.
The director Smith referred to the history of the world�s economy. All highly developed countries started from very low taxes for their producers, and taxes were increased gradually. The tax is to be fixed and definite, as when the tax amount is often changed, it strongly influences the productivity of an enterprise and the prime cost of the products.
�Hurricane Karaozek� was awarded with the gold medal at �AgroProdExpo-99� exhibition.
The international exhibition �AgroProdExpo-Bazarlyk� was held in Astana on June 24-27. This exhibition was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Energy, Industry and Trade of RK.
According to Mr. Smith, this was the first exhibition of this level where they took part; nevertheless they were awarded with �Gold Medal� for quality. They always received diplomas for quality of their products at the regional and town exhibitions where they took part.
The activity of the Canadian oil company �Hurricane Kumkol Munai� (HKM) is well known thanks to publications in the mass media, but a few people know that this company also has an agricultural branch which is successfully penetrating to the Kazakhstan markets. Our correspondent asked the director of this branch to tell about his enterprise.
According to Rob Smith, �Hurricane Karaozek� is a branch producing foodstuff of the JSC �Hurricane Kumkol Munai�, the Canadian oil and gas company working in Kzylorda region. Initially this enterprise provided more than 5000 workers of HKM. In the end of 1997 �Hurricane Karaozek� started realisation of its products (meat semi-finished products, sausages and milk products) in the market.
Rob Smith emphasised that �Hurricane Karaozek� manufactures products using ingredients only of local origin made. This company produces products made in Kazakhstan, by Kazakhstan citizens and for Kazakhstan. �Consequently, we proudly called the trade label of our products �Absolutely Kazakhstan,� he stated.
About economy and management
According to Mr. Smith, the enterprise weekly produces 8 tons of meat, about 2.5 tons of sausages. The manufactured products completely satisfy the internal requirements of the company and give an opportunity to penetrate the market. The company is projecting to double the volume of produced products by the end of this year.
�Now we are making first steps in Astana and Almaty�s markets,� Mr. Smith said.
About competitiveness
�The worst thing is when a person is afraid of his competitors when he penetrates the market,� the director of �Hurricane Karaozek� believes. The director of the company courageously invites his competitors to the Kzylorda market and he is going to penetrate competitors� markets. This man believes that it is the customer who decides what producer is the best one.
Increasing dollar�s rate does not influence our production, Rob Smith assures.
The director of the enterprise says that many their suppliers ask them to reconsider all prices stipulated in the contracts due to the recent tenge�s fall. Mr. Smith does not understand: if an enterprise works with local raw materials and manufactures goods in the republic, and uses no imported articles, why dollar�s rate should influence the work of this company? He considers that an increase of dollar�s exchange rate may only influence export-import operations, but not the internal market. According to Mr. Smith, some of the producers increase their prices to gain profit from difference of the rates.
Parliament trusts to the government
The action of �Otan� party connected with non-confidence to the government failed, when the majority of the parliamentarians voted for confidence to the Ministers. According to the correspondent of the Kazakh Service �Radio Liberty� (KSRL) this was possibly connected with the vivid activity of Civil Party of Kazakhstan (CPK), which was joined by one senator and six Mazhilismen. Eighteen deputies more will probably take a decision to enter into this party.
�At present more than 50000 people are members of the party. By the Parliamentary election we are going to increase the number of our members to 100000 persons. Now CPK has 14 regional and town subsidiaries. According to our prognosis, 10 to 12 persons from our party will be nominated at the election, out of whom two or three persons are supposed to be elected,� Azat Peruashev, the leader of CPK announced.
At the threshold of the parliamentary election the two parties (�Otan� and �CPK�) became active. Thus, there is a trend to establish a two-party system, the journalist believes.
In his interview to �Radio Liberty� Nursultan Nazarbaev said: �It was always my dream that two party blocks prepare and present their programs to people. It would be right.�
Approving the two-party system, the President possibly meant these two parties. At the same time, if RPPK, �Orleu� and other political parties and movements had been freer, the possibility to have the multi-party system as in Russia would have been real. There are some premises for that, the journalist of �Radio Liberty� states.
About changes to the law on elections
The changes to the law on election may be called deputises� victory, the correspondent states.
According to the new law, the fee of a candidate to deputies will be 62000 tenge. If the candidate collects 7% of the votes and wins at the election, his contribution will be returned. According to the parliamentarians, this was a significant step towards democracy, as common people will have an opportunity to take part in elections. The parliamentarians hope that the next Parliament will be more democratic.
Summarising the work of the Parliament and the government in the last week, it should be mentioned that each of them stayed at the same place. If the republican budget was approved according to the government�s directory, the changes to the law on elections were made according to deputies� demand, the KSRL journalist emphasises.
Kazakhstan conference in London
The conference �Astana, a capital of the new millennium� held in London by the Kazakhstan delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasymzhomart Tokaev was a significant event of the last week. During this conference more than six hundred meetings with foreign companies and international financial institutions were held, �Radio Liberty� announced.
However, the corespondent states, that it is difficult to say that large investments will come to Kazakhstan or its new capital after this conference, though this event may be useful somehow.
In the next week Tokaev is planning to meet the Prime Minister of Russia Sergei Stepashin and discuss with him issues regarding oil, gas, metallurgical branch, military-testing polygons and exploitation of �Baikonur�.
Kazakh press about changes to the law on land
The disputes about private property on land are being continued in the Parliament.
In connection to this, the new bill was hotly discussed in the Kazakh mass media, as once land was worthy of many things for the Kazakhs, the correspondent emphasises. The present law on land was approved in 1995. According to this law, only enterprises and organisations may possess land, on which they are located, while natural persons have only the right to lend land. According to the new law, natural persons will have the right to own land.
The President believes that this law will correct the economic condition of the population. But for the time being this statement arises many contradictory opinions.
�Turkistan� newspaper was one of the firsts who began the discussion on this theme. In the article �For whom it is profitable to sell land� the prognosis of some leading economists were presented. These economists announced several years ago that if the country were governed in the same way, the authorities would have nothing to do except to sell land.
The approval of the new bill will again prove that the government and the Parliament judge life from the windows of their offices. If they knew condition of the people and took it into consideration while taking decisions, they would not take this measure, the newspaper writes.
This bill is approved only for temporary profit, as for some tome after sale of the sites, about 27 billion tenge will be submitted to the budget. This amount may be very useful to cover the budget holes. Probably, that is the reason of this fastness observed while considering the bill, the newspaper supposes.
In a day after the above-mentioned publication, �Zhas Alash� newspaper published the article �When your land is sold, what will you do, Kazakh?� it is dangerous now to sell land. Maybe somebody is able to buy land, but not the common Kazakhs. A few people are occupied in the agriculture, as they have neither machines nor money to buy them. Will common people be able to take part in the sale under these conditions, the newspaper asks.
According to the newspaper, only new wealthy men may purchase land. They having bought land will gain profit from it. This also may become just a resale. The entire people wondered whether the private property on land is necessary. Once this people who does not know all nuances of the market, supported this idea, though the population did not know what this might mean, the article emphasises.
On the same day �21st century� newspaper published the article by the writer Sapabek Asip-uly. This article states, that 44% of the Kazakhstan territory is desert. That is why everybody will try to buy fertile lands. The population may lose the last thing, its land. Land may be lost forever, the author worries.
The discussion of the new bill has just started. We will further have more disputes. And it is unknown what will be obtained in the result of these disputes, the journalist resumes.
THE GLOBE basing on materials of the
Kazakh service �Radio Liberty�
June 21 to 27
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
© 1998 IPA House. All Rights Reserved.