Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
| Right | Section | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Association | History | Freedom of association is protected in several places in the 1993 Constitution of Kazakhstan, but most directly in Chapter 4 Article 16 which states that “Citizens of the Republic shall have the right to form public associations on the basis of free expression of will and community of interests for the implementation of their rights and freedoms”.
References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 112 |
| Freedom of Expression | History | Article 10 of the 1993 Kazakhstan Constitution states: "A citizen of the Republic shall have the right to freedom of speech, creed and their free expression. Nobody can be forced to express his views or be persecuted for having convictions."
References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 111 |
| Freedom of Religion | History | Articles 1 and 10 of the 1993 Kazakhstan Constitution bear in part upon freedom of religion, but Article 12 speaks to this right most directly: "A citizen of the Republic shall be guaranteed freedom of conscience - the right to independently determine his attitude towards religion, to profess any of them or to profess none, to disseminate views, connected with the attitude towards religion, and to act in accordance with them".
References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 110-112 |
| Freedom of the Press | History | Article 10 of the 1993 Kazakhstan Constitution asserts freedom of expression in general. Article 11 bears more directly on freedom of the press: "A citizen of the Republic shall have the right to receive and disseminate any information through any legitimate way for his choice."
References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 111 |
| Privacy Rights | History | Article 33 of the 1993 Kazakhstan Constitution reads: "Private life of a citizen shall be inviolable. Intrusion upon private
life of a citizen, and also infringement upon his honor and dignity shall be prohibited." Article 34 guarantees the inviolability of the home. Kazakhstan protected the right to privacy in Article 18 of its 1995 Constitution. It says, “1. Everyone shall have the right to inviolability of private life, personal or family secrets, protection of honor and dignity. 2. Everyone shall have the right to confidentiality of personal deposits and savings, correspondence, telephone conversations, postal, telegraph, and other messages. Limitation of this right shall be permitted only in the cases and according to the procedure directly established by law. 3. State bodies, public associations, officials, and the mass media must provide every citizen with the possibility to obtain access to documents, decisions and other sources of information concerning his rights and interests” (Constitute Project, “Kazakhstan 1995 rev. 2017” ). References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 114 1995 Constitution: https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kazakhstan_2017 |
| Voting Rights and Suffrage | History | Article 109 of the Kazakhstan Constitution of 1993 states: "Elections of the deputies of the Supreme Soviet, of the President and deputies local representative bodies shall be held on the basis of universal, equal and direct right to vote by secret ballot." According to Article 110, "Elections shall be universal: all citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who have reached the age of 18 shall have the right to vote. Citizens acknowledged to be incapable by court and also persons kept in places of imprisonment shall not participate in elections."
According to Article 86 of the 1995 Kazakhstan Constitution, local representatives shall be elected by the of-age population through universal, secret suffrage for a five year term. In addition, under Article 41, the President of the Republic shall also be elected by the of-age population through universal suffrage via a secret ballot. (Constitute Project, “Kazakhstan’s Constitution of 1995 with Amendments through 2017” ). References: "The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan," International Legal Perspectives 5, no. 1 (1993): 114 1995 Constitution: https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Kazakhstan_2017 |