As is known from official reports, Massimov was arrested on January 8 by court order. The detention order expired on March 8. At the moment, the public has not been informed about the extension of his arrest and detention. It is only known that Massimov is still in the pre-trial detention center of the National Security Council. There is no information about his legal status.
Was there an order to extend his arrest, or were there no such court proceedings? The public was not informed and remains in the dark. All information continues to be classified. Meanwhile, Karim Massimov continues to be held in custody illegally, and any semblance of due process to extend the arrest has been violated. This situation creates a dangerous precedent, where citizens of Kazakhstan can be arrested without legal basis, with cases heard in secret court proceedings that may or may not take place.
The UN Working Group has now accepted a petition for arbitrary detention in relation to this case. The international community considers Karim Massimov’s plight a further example of the rising persecution of political prisoners around the world.
