The Committee for liberation of Vadim Kuramshin fears that the human rights defender may be tortured and abused if transferred to another colony.

On 30 October 2014, the Committee reported about an intention to transfer the Kazakh human rights activist to another colony. According to the official sources, ES 164/4 Colony (informally called “Zhaman-Sopka” – note by “Jarayon”) located in Northern Kazakhstan region is going to be liquidated.

However, his colleagues and relativeshave been worried and concerned with the given news.

“I am very worried about my husband’s life as when I visited him, he was gloomy and said directly that no matter how the prison administration tried to break his will, they did not succeed. However, he fears that the authorities will try to do something again when he will be transferred to another colony,” said Ekaterina Kuramshina, the human rights activist’s spouse.

The Committee for liberation of Vadim Kuramshin reported that currently there are only four special regime coloniesin Kazakhstan, and one of them is Colony ES 164/4 where the human rights activist is kept.

According to members of the Committee, the administrations of these institutions may have a lot of unpleasant moments and “surprises” for Vadim Kuramshin as they once they were affected by revelations made by the human rights activist.

The statement released by the Committee says that Colony OKA 159/5 in Karaganda province has become notorious due to high-profile murders of prisoners in the colony, which were investigated by Vadim and became public. It is easy to guess how the administration of the given facility will welcome and treat him. There is another colony “famous”among prisoners – Special regime zone UK-161/3 for life prisoners. This institution located in Kostanai province is nicknamed “Zhitikara”.

Currently VadimKuramshin and his lawyers try to have him transferred to colony ETs-166/5 (nicknamed “Vishnevka” – note by “Jarayon”) after “Zhaman-Sopka is liquidated. “Vishnevka” is located not far from Astana and is the nearest facility to Petropavlovsk.

“A transfer to another colony will mean further torture, abuse and provocations against the political prisoner and human rights activist, who isirreconcilable to this prison arbitrariness,” the Committee reported.

Previously, Vadim Kuramshin’s wife told “Jarayon” that her husband suffers psychological and moral pressurein Colony ES 164/4. For this reason, the human rights activist declared a hunger strike in the prisonin June 2014.

I would remind that in December 2012, the Kazakh court found the human rights defender Vadim Kuramshin guilty of extortion and ordered to sentence him to 12 years of imprisonment in the special regime colony and confiscate his property.

However, local and international human rights organizations believe that the criminal case against human rights defender Kuramshin was fabricated by the Kazakh authorities in retaliation to his human rights activities.

Prior to imprisonment, Vadim Kuramshin had exposed crimes committed by Kazakh prison administrations against prisoners.

In 2013, international human rights organizationsannounced Vadim Kuramshin a political prisoner. Also, the human rights activist was the winner of Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize in 2013.

Guzal AKHMEDOVA