Campaign Kazakhstan Meeting in London

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Campaign Kazakhstan held an important meeting on Saturday, 21 September, bringing together active supporters of the Campaign, including leading trade unionists from Britain and Northern Ireland. It took place at the headquarters of Britain’s largest trade union, UNITE and discussed a balance sheet of the work of the Campaign and mapped out plans for future campaigning.

The meeting opened with an eyewitness report of a visit to Kazakhstan made by Padraig Mulholland, President of the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance (NIPSA). He vividly described the daily state repression that opposition activists face in Kazakhstan and their on-going and inspiring efforts to build an independent workers’ movement.

Kevin Henry, representing Paul Murphy, Member of the European Parliament for the Socialist Party (Ireland), gave a report of the tireless solidarity work carried out by the MEP since his visit to Kazakhstan in the summer of 2012. Paul has spoken to the EU Parliament on Kazakhstan and helped draft motions condemning the brutal Nazarbayev regime and those Western governments and big businesses that have friendly links to the regime.

Ben Robinson reported on the work of Campaign Kazakhstan over the last 12 months or so, supplementing a written report handed out to the meeting.

Some of the plans discussed included stepping up the campaigning work for jailed lawyer, Vadim Kuramshin. Demands could be made through lawyers for him to be freed by 5 December to collect the prestigious international lawyers’ human rights Ludovic Trarieux prize for 2013 due to be awarded to him in Paris on that date. The campaign for the release of poet and housing rights campaigner, Aron Atabek, will be stepped up. It is hoped that English translations of some of Aron’s poetry will continue to be published over the next few months and come out as a small book. It was also agreed to prepare a campaign over the highly lucrative arms trade with the Kazakhstan regime.

Zhanaozen commemoration

The meeting pledged to continue to raise financial assistance for oil workers’ families and to campaign for the release of all those imprisoned after the Zhanaozen massacre of striking oil-workers and family members in December 2011. It was agreed to mark the second anniversary on 16 December 2013 by calling for large protests at the Kazakhstan embassy in London on that date and that the Campaign will urge similar international protests. To help build for this important date, it was agreed to plan a cultural event in London in December, like those organised last year. It would aim to highlight the campaigns around Vadim Kuramshin and Aron Atabek,  as well as commemorating the Zhanaozen massacre.

It was agreed that the general profile and influence of Campaign Kazakhstan would be developed, including by asking for trade union and trades council affiliations and pursuing publicity via the European Parliament, by approaching well-known public figures and developing the Campaign website.

A general ‘Statement and Aims’ was adopted and a Steering Committee with officers was elected. There will be reserved places for any affiliated trade union to be represented.

Among those present at the meeting were:- Alfia Nakipbekova (musician and Kazakh human rights campaigner), Dave Nellist (former MP and current Chair of Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Paul Heron (Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers), Kevin Henry (Paul Murphy’s office), Padraig Mulholland (president of NIPSA, personal capacity) and Paul Kershaw (chair, Unite Housing workers’ branch 1111). Apologies were received from Mick Whale, Hull National Union of Teachers (NUT) Branch Secretary and Campaign Kazakhstan Secretary, who had to attend a major protest in his home town of Hull at the announcement of mass lay-offs of council workers.