Kazakhstan should promptly express its support for and implement the recommendations made by member states at the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, Human Rights Watch said today. The periodic examination of the country's human rights record by the UN Human Right Council took place on January 23, 2025.
The 294 recommendations made by 103 state delegations cover a range of key human rights concerns, including the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, freedom of media and expression, and the need for accountability for abuses during the so-called "January events" in 2022. They also address gender-based violence, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and people with disabilities, torture, and ill-treatment.
"UN member states rightfully raised wide-ranging concerns about Kazakhstan's human rights record at the UN review," said Mihra Rittmann, senior Central Asia Researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Kazakhstan should take prompt action to meaningfully improve its human rights record."
During the UPR process governments' human rights records are reviewed by their peers in the UN. All UN member states examine a country's human rights record every four and a half years and propose action to improve the rights situations there.
The country under review, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, regional human rights mechanisms, and UN entities can provide information on the human rights situation and on developments since the previous UPR cycle. In July 2024, Human Rights Watch submitted a briefing on Kazakhstan's human rights record with recommendations.
In its report submitted to the UN ahead of its review, the Kazakhstan's government claimed that it was "implementing sweeping democratic reforms and protecting human rights in full compliance with its international obligations" and at the review reported it had implemented 195 of the 214 recommendations it accepted at its last review in 2019, with work ongoing on another 19. Yet, following past UPR cycles, Kazakhstan had failed to take action to fulfill important recommendations, including to protect freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the rights of LGBT people.
Moreover, since its 2019 review, serious human rights abuses persisted in Kazakhstan, including during and after anti-government protests in January 2022. The government has escalated its crackdown on civil and political freedoms and is using overbroad criminal charges in counter-extremism legislation to prosecute and harass activists, human rights activists, journalists, bloggers, government critics, and peaceful protesters for exercising their basic rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Just days before Kazakhstan's review, authorities in Kazakhstan arrested a journalist and founder of a satirical news site on arbitrary extremism charges, threatening him with a 7-year prison sentence.
Among the 294 recommendations received during the review, Norway and Australia said that Kazakhstan should investigate human rights abuses during the January 2022 protests. Human Rights Watch documented that law enforcement used excessive force, including against peaceful protesters. Multiple countries also urged Kazakhstan to investigate allegations of torture and to hold those responsible for torture and other forms of ill-treatment accountable, with a view to ending impunity.
The United Kingdom urged Kazakhstan to "revise the definition of extremism in national legislation and remove those convicted of nonviolent crimes from the Financing Terrorism List." Human Rights Watch has documented serious abuses, including unjustified state imposed financial restrictions, stemming from inclusion on the list.
Nearly a dozen member states urged Kazakhstan to uphold media freedom and guarantee protection of media workers, bloggers, and journalists. These recommendations come at a time when there is growing concern about increased restrictions on media freedom in Kazakhstan.
Multiple countries also urged Kazakhstan to protect the rights of LGBT people and prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Human Rights Watch and others have documented that LGBT people in Kazakhstan face everyday harassment, discrimination, and the threat of violence, while calls for anti-LGBT propaganda legislation persist.
Other member states issued recommendations concerning the rights of people with disabilities, saying the government should guarantee "inclusive education," and on Kazakhstan's social security system, encouraging the government to continue its "efforts to reduce poverty rates."
At the review, member states praised Kazakhstan for abolishing the death penalty, acceding to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and establishing a Constitutional Court. The government of Kazakhstan has until the next Human Rights Council session in July 2025 to signal its intention to implement the recommendations made during the UPR review.
"If Kazakhstan aims to be a player on the global stage, it cannot ignore serious concerns raised by other member states and should take steps to advance everyone's rights," Rittmann said. "However, without strong international pressure on Astana, there's a real risk human rights abuses will persist."
