On January 5, 2023, the General Prosecutor of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Berik Asylov, broke Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 14 paragraph 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, by naming former Prime Minister, Dr. Karim Massimov as the main organizer of the Bloody January events at an address to Parliament, before a court decision has been reached.
The trial against Dr. Massimov is currently underway at the City Court of Astana, in violation of the opinion adopted by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called for Massimov’s immediate release.
Karim Massimov, suffering from severe chronic coronary artery disease, has remained in solitary confinement for 1 year.
Dr. Massimov was detained at 11pm on January 5, directly following the meeting of the Security Council, headed by Tokayev, at the Akorda – the Astana Presidential Palace. He was held hostage, without access to food, water, medication, or defense, in the basement of the Presidential Palace until he was formally charged and brought to the temporary detention facility at 2pm on January 6, 2022. Once transferred, Massimov was denied medical care when experiencing a hypertensive crisis.
The Government of Kazakhstan continues to reject international calls for an independent investigation into the events of Bloody January.
