Official Statements
U.S. Embassy Statement On The Conviction Of Yevgeniy Zhovtis
On September 3, internationally recognized human rights advocate Yevgeniy Zhovtis was convicted by a trial court of criminal negligence leading to grave consequences and sentenced to four years in a penal colony.
In recent days, we have expressed our concerns about this case and urged the Kazakhstani authorities to provide Mr. Zhovtis access to fair legal proceedings, consistent with Kazakhstani law. We will continue to make the same request during the appeals process.
We note that there will inevitably be intense international scrutiny placed on how the appeals process will be conducted because of Mr. Zhovtis’ prominence in the international human rights community and as Kazakhstan prepares to assume the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.