http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=10743
Kazakh 'anti-terror' laws spark alarm ISN SECURITY WATCH (09/02/05) - Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, on Wednesday approved two bills aimed at combating religious extremist groups, while human rights activists said the vagueness of the legislation could open the door for the repression of innocent people. Taken together, the two pieces of legislation - one on "On counteracting extremism" and another that includes related amendments to existing laws - would greatly expand the authorities' abilities to target groups suspected of extremism. After a court decision, the general prosecutor would have the power to declare foreign groups operating within the country as extremist. The government would have the ability to create lists of extremist groups and their members, and would have more leeway in conducting surveillance of suspicious activities. Other measures would streamline the prohibition of organizations and individuals that affirm the supremacy of a single religion, incite national enmity and discord, promulgate religion extremism, and abuse "inter-confessional" differences towards political ends. Activists have complained that the bills, which still must be approved by the Senate and signed by the president, do not define extremism closely enough, paving the way for the potential abuse of groups not involved in radical activities. Some of the more controversial passages in the legislation identify political parties and media as potential conduits for extremism, worrying critics of the government's behavior towards non-state-controlled media and opposition parties. Press watchdog organizations have long condemned Kazakhstan's treatment of the independent and opposition press, as well as the blocking of the websites of media organizations and political parties. Last month, the authorities banned the opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK), labeling it extremist for calling on demonstrations to protest the results of fall parliamentary elections, which international observers had said fell short of democratic standards. While bomb attacks in recent years have shaken neighboring Uzbekistan and Islamic insurgents have launched forays into Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan has largely escaped the threat of Islamic extremism. The country has proudly boasted of its ability to keep religious or ethnic tensions under wraps without employing the heavy-handed tactics seen in Uzbekistan, for example, where many analysts believe the authorities' repression of religious groups has contributed to the rise of more extreme forms of Islam. Just the day before the passage of the legislation, Kazakh Foreign Minister Askar Shakirov had concluded a four-day international conference in Saudi Arabia, where representatives of 63 countries discussed a wide range of issues connected with the fight against terrorism. (By Jeremy Druker in Prague) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
