Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Commissioner, EU Special Representative for Human Rights discuss wide range of issues

During the conversation, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest for Kazakhstan and the European Commission in the field of human rights. E. Azimova informed I. Gilmore and his colleagues in detail about the work carried out by her office to protect civil rights and freedoms, about problematic issues in human rights issues that require effective resolution of the law enforcement and legislative plan, as well as a package of measures that the President, Parliament, and Government of Kazakhstan have begun to implement and plan to complete next year.

The Commissioner stressed that the Government should not be limited to the adopted Plan of Priority Measures. In Kazakhstan, human rights and their observance are defined as the main direction of state policy, and therefore work in this direction is relevant and should be widely covered.

During the meeting, E. Azimova reported on an important decision regarding the transfer of medicine from the prison system to the civil health system. This step testifies to the country's determination to respect the human right to health protection about citizens who are in prison, E. Azimova noted and recalled that not all countries of the European Union have taken such a step, despite the recommendations of the World Health Organization on considering the health of convicts as part of public health.

She also spoke about the main issues being promoted, including jointly with non-governmental and international organizations in the field of human rights at present.

The participants of the meeting discussed the format of further interaction and dialogue, exchange of information, including within the framework of the dialogue mechanisms « European Union-Kazakhstan «and« European Union – Central Asia « in the human rights dimension.

The colleagues exchanged views on the results of E. Azimova's first working trip to Brussels in mid-July this year, including on the bilateral agreements reached with the leadership and members of the relevant structures of the European Parliament.