Kazakh police now required to read suspects’ Miranda rights while making arrests

    By Jacqueline Jones
    Amirkhan Amanbaev with the Kazakhstan Prosecutor General's Office announced Mondayt that the newly adopted Kazakhstan Criminal Procedural code will require police to read suspects their rights when making arrests.
    The suspects' rights are based on the Miranda warnings (Miranda v. Arizona) used in America and will require the police to warn the suspect that anything they say will be used against them, that they have the right to a lawyer and that they have the right to remain silent.
    Media outlets in Kazakhstan said it is the first nation (in the CIS - KNL) to have Miranda Warnings "on the books." Amanbaev also reported the new criminal code will include provisions for potential plea bargaining [text].
    Kazakhstan’s new criminal procedural code is a vast change the bill passed in May 2010 by the Kazakh parliament, which gave the president vast powers making the president almost completely untouchable.
    Since then, Kazakhstan has drawn criticism for its human rights abuses. In April the UN urged Kazakhstan to end mandatory registration of religious communities.
    In November of 2012 a Kazakhstan court upheld the conviction of an outspoken opposition leader accused of inciting dissent in an attempt to overthrow the country's government, according to Jurist.