Yevgeny Zhovtis – the political prisoner of Kazakhstan

Grigory Pasko, journalist

During the time of my brief sojourn in Almaty, I met with many people – journalists, jurists, human rights advocates – and asked of them: what do they think of the Yevgeny Zhovtis case? One thing became clear and distinct from all our talks: this human rights activist is now widely considered as a new political prisoner of modern-day Kazakhstan – a state which although masquerades its commitment to democratic principles, regularly violates the rights of her people and flouts its own laws through its deeds.