•HCON 422 IH
of thought, conscience, religion or belief, expression, asso-
ciation, peaceful assembly, and movement, the right to
freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, or
other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punish-
ment, and, if charged with an offense, the right to a fair
and public trial;
Whereas the OSCE participating states have committed
themselves to build, consolidate, and strengthen democ-
racy as the only system of government, and are also obli-
gated to hold free elections at reasonable intervals, to re-
spect the right of citizens to seek political or public office
without discrimination, to respect the right of individuals
and groups to establish in full freedom their own political
parties, and to allow parties and individuals wishing to
participate in the electoral process access to the media on
a nondiscriminatory basis;
Whereas Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev
pledged, while visiting President Bush on December 21,
2001, to ‘‘strengthen democratic institutions and proc-
esses, such as independent media, local government, plu-
ralism, and free and fair elections’’;
Whereas the policies of the Government of Kazakhstan have
imposed restrictions on the activities of opposition par-
ties, have led to the exile of opposition figures and inde-
pendent journalists, and have resulted in the closure of
independent and opposition media;
Whereas such assaults on basic freedoms have seriously lim-
ited the fora in which individuals and groups may ad-
dress grievances or otherwise participate legally in the
political process;
•HCON 422 IH
Whereas President Nazarbaev dissolved the Parliament of
Kazakhstan in 1993 and again in 1995 when he also an-
nulled scheduled presidential elections and extended his
tenure in office until 2000 through a deeply flawed ref-
erendum;
Whereas on January 10, 1999, President Nazarbaev was re-
elected in preterm presidential elections from which a
leading challenger was excluded for having addressed the
organization ‘‘For Free Elections’’, only because that or-
ganization had not registered in accordance with the gov-
ernment’s mandatory registration process, and the OSCE
assessed the elections as falling far short of international
standards;
Whereas Kazakhstan’s October 1999 parliamentary election
fell short of OSCE standards because of widespread in-
terference by government authorities, according to the
OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR);
Whereas the Parliament of Kazakhstan on June 22, 2000,
approved 
draft 
legislation 
that 
grants 
President
Nazarbaev powers and privileges for the remainder of his
life that allow him to influence the legislative and judicial
branches of the government;
Whereas 2 Swiss bank accounts of President Nazarbaev and
some accounts of his immediate family members were fro-
zen at the request of the United States Department of
Justice in connection with an ongoing investigation into
corruption and money laundering;
Whereas President Nazarbaev’s family reportedly owns or
controls all major media outlets in Kazakhstan, including
television, radio, and newspapers;
•HCON 422 IH
Whereas the independent media in Kazakhstan, which have
a history of relative freedom, have been pressured, co-
opted, or fully silenced, so that only a few underground
outlets for the expression of independent or opposition
views remain, limiting the ability of the press to criticize
or comment on the President’s policies or on high-level
corruption;
Whereas the human rights situation of Kazakh citizens con-
tinues to decline, opposition leaders remain in exile, and
independent Kazakh journalists have been physically at-
tacked and their offices firebombed, attacked, or robbed,
most recently on May 21 and May 22, 2002;
Whereas the United States Department of State issued a
statement on May 23, 2002, expressing ‘‘deep concern’’
that the attacks on members of the media and on their
offices ‘‘suggest an effort to intimidate political opposi-
tion leaders and the independent media and raise serious
questions about the safety of the independent media in
Kazakhstan’’;
Whereas President Nazarbaev in August 2001 orchestrated a
trial in absentia against his chief political rival, former
Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, which the rep-
resentative of the OSCE Center in Almaty, Kazakhstan,
observed and described as ‘‘political and unfair’’, and
about which the United States Department of State de-
livered a demarche to the Government of Kazakhstan;
Whereas 2 members of a recently emerged opposition party,
known as the Democratic Choice for Kazakhstan, have
been imprisoned; and
Whereas freedom of religion in Kazakhstan is jeopardized by
Article 375 of the Administrative Code of Kazakhstan,
•HCON 422 IH
which mandates registration of all religious groups and
creates criminal penalties for groups and individual lead-
ers choosing not to comply, and which government au-
thorities have used to justify the imprisonment and beat-
ings of leaders of unregistered religious groups: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) expresses deep concern about the efforts by
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev to re-
main in power indefinitely and his willingness to ma-
nipulate constitutions, elections, and legislative and
judicial systems to do so;
(2) urges the President of the United States,
the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense,
and other United States officials to make a more
concerted and stronger effort to raise with President
Nazarbaev at every opportunity the concern about
serious violations of human rights, including non-
compliance with Organization for Security and Co-
operation in Europe (OSCE) commitments on
human rights, democracy, and the rule of law;
(3) 
urges 
President 
Nazarbaev 
to 
bring
Kazakhstan into compliance with OSCE commit-
ments on human rights, democracy, and the rule of
law, by ensuring the conduct of free and fair elec-
tions at all levels and allowing all citizens to partici-
•HCON 422 IH
pate in the political process on an equal basis, with-
out intimidation or fear of reprisal;
(4) calls on the Government of Kazakhstan to
take every necessary step to make possible the re-
turn of exiled political leaders, most notably former
Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, as well as
other activists and journalists;
(5) expresses support for independent organiza-
tions which are qualified to review the Constitution
of Kazakhstan and recommend amendments which
would protect human rights, democracy, and the rule
of law;
(6) calls on President Nazarbaev to establish
conditions for independent and opposition media to
function without constraint, limitation, or fear of
harassment; and
(7) urges the Voice of America and RFE/RL,
Incorporated 
to 
expand 
broadcasting 
into
Kazakhstan, in order to assure that the peoples of
the region have access to unbiased news and pro-
grams that support respect for human rights and
the establishment of democracy and the rule of law.
Æ