Following an initiative of Irish GUE/NGL MEP Paul Murphy, 48 MEPs from 17 countries and 6 different political groups today sent a letter to the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, expressing concern about the violence used by state forces against striking oil workers, their supporters and families in the city of Zhanaozen in western Kazakhstan last Friday, 16 December.
The letter expresses horror at reports of riot police attacking unarmed protestors with live ammunition. The government of Kazakhstan acknowledges the death of 16 protestors, however reports on the ground put the figure between 50 and 70.
The letter condemns the violence used by Kazakh state forces and calls for an end to repressive measures imposed in the region since Friday, the release of those arrested and an immediate genuinely independent inquiry into the atrocity.
GUE/NGL Press Contacts:
David Lundy +32 485 50 58 12
Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20
david.lundy@europarl.europa.eu [2]
gabrielle.kavanagh@europarl.europa.eu [3]
European United Left / Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group
www.guengl.eu [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.guengl.eu/showPage.php?ID=10344&ROOTPAGE=1&LANG=1&GLANG=1
[2] mailto:david.lundy@europarl.europa.eu?subject=Seen%20on%20PR.EurActiv.com
[3] mailto:gabrielle.kavanagh@europarl.europa.eu?subject=Seen%20on%20PR.EurActiv.com
[4] http://www.guengl.eu