The government of Kazakhstan, which has been widely criticized in the past for using an “extremism” label to target political dissent, is now increasing pressure on peaceful assembly under the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, say rights groups and observers of the Central Asian country.Kazakhstan has registered 127,580 infections and 1,945 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.Heather McGill, a Central Asia researcher at Amnesty International, told VOA that any Kazakh who criticizes the authorities for their response to the deadly virus may be prosecuted under charges of “disseminating knowingly false information” and would be banned from “voluntary political and social …read more
Source:: Voice of America
