KAZAKHSTAN: Prisoners of conscience refused conditional early release

At least 3 of the 8 current known prisoners of conscience jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief have had applications for conditional early release rejected on grounds their families regard as arbitrary. In June, a Kyzylorda court rejected Dadash Mazhenov’s request, apparently citing his unpaid fees for the “expert analyses” used to convict him. “These fees were just an excuse,” his family told Forum 18. The Head of Labour Camp No. 68, Kaiyrbek Ilyasov, refused to discuss why Mazhenov was refused conditional early release.