EU calls for two Atyrau land reform protesters to be set free

    The European Union is calling for Kazakh human rights activists, Maks Bokayev and Talgat Ayan to be set free from prison.
    EU also called for "Kazakhstan to cease the criminalization of dissenting opinions and to ensure that the freedoms of speech and of assembly are protected."
    Human rights defenders Maks Bokayev and Talgat Ayan were sentenced this week to five years in prison by the Atyrau City Court for organizing and participating in peaceful protests in April 2016.
    "The penalization of such acts contravenes Kazakhstan's commitments under international law on the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly," EU External Action said in a statement.
    Bokayev and Ayan were detained on April 24 and went on trial on October 12.
    Large rallies took place in the cities of Atyrau, Astana, Almaty, Uralsk and Kyzylorda from April until May 2016 to protest against changes to the land code that would extend land lease terms for foreigners from 10 to 25 years. Protesters were concerned long-term leases could result in the effective loss of Kazakh land to foreign investors.
    After the mass protest, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev introduced a moratorium on the amendments to the national land code, Akipress reports.