Kazakhstan's top judge courts closer EU ties amid push for legal reforms
ADVERTISEMENT
Elvira Azimova, Chair of Kazakhstan's Constitutional Court, said her visit was part of the 'follow-up' to the recent EU-Central Asia Summit, which brought together top officials from both regions. 'My schedule includes meetings with practically all the key European institutions except the European Commission,' she noted, framing her presence in the EU capital as part of a broader effort to engage in 'multilateral cooperation'.
The renewed outreach comes as Kazakhstan attempts to present itself as a modernising state with legal institutions ready to support reforms. The Constitutional Court, reinstated in 2023 after a constitutional referendum, is still in its early stages but has already reviewed around 70 cases for compliance with both national and international law, according to Azimova.
She pointed to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's 'Fair Kazakhstan' agenda as evidence of progress. 'We are building a state that hears, that listens to its population,' she said, insisting that civil society plays an active role in the country's governance. She also cited digitalisation, green technology, and AI as areas where Kazakhstan hopes to deepen ties with the EU, while acknowledging that such initiatives will require significant legal adaptation.
Kazakhstan's government has been under international scrutiny over the years for its human rights record, lack of political plurality, and crackdowns on dissent. While reforms have been promised, including in the judiciary, their implementation remains patchy.
Freedom observers
argue that genuine independence of the judiciary and constitutional checks on executive power are still limited.
Yet, Azimova stressed that the Court is committed to upholding not just domestic laws but also Kazakhstan's obligations under international treaties, especially those stemming from the UN system. Accession to European treaties remains a long-term goal, she said, citing interests in conventions related to women's rights and cybercrime.
'It is important to ensure that legislation would be properly and comprehensively applied,' she said, suggesting that effective dispute resolution and judicial review would be key to achieving that.
Despite the overtures, some question the depth of EU engagement. 'We hope that the EU will also take a step forward towards Kazakhstan,' Azimova said, hinting at the asymmetry in interest and action.
Geopolitical competition in Central Asia intensifies — with Russia, China and the West all vying for influence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
As Ecuador battles gangs, lawmakers approve return of foreign military bases
Foreign bases were outlawed in Ecuador in 2009, but President Daniel Noboa has vowed to bring them back as he pursues a crackdown on cartels blamed for turning what was once one of the region's most peaceful countries into one of its most violent. Noboa has asked US President Donald Trump for military backing and in February said he would invite "special forces" from unnamed allied countries to help. He has announced an alliance with US mercenary Erik Prince, founder of security contractor Blackwater, and said last month that Israel wants to help Ecuador with intelligence. Noboa, 37, was sworn in for a second term in May after claiming a runaway reelection victory with promises to take an "iron fist" to gangsters. Once-peaceful Ecuador averaged a killing every hour at the start of the year as cartels battled for control over cocaine routes that pass through the nation's ports. There are an estimated 40,000 gang members in Ecuador, the president has said, and about 20 gangs with links to international cartels. Noboa last year declared Ecuador to be in an internal armed conflict, empowering him to deploy the armed forces in the streets and prisons. But despite his tough-on-crime policies, Ecuador has the highest murder rate in Latin America. 'Strategic cooperation ' The United States had a military base in the South American country, at the fishing port of Manta, until 2009 when a constitutional prohibition entered into effect that Noboa wants overturned. With 82 votes out of 151 members, Ecuador's unicameral National Assembly with its pro-government majority on Tuesday approved a constitutional reform to allow for such bases to be brought back. "This is a decisive contribution to security... and for the return of peace to Ecuadoran territory," the parliament stated on X. In a separate statement, it said the reform had "the aim of strengthening international cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime." The measure would allow for "the recovery of national security through strategic cooperation, intelligence sharing, and technology transfer, which will strengthen the operational capacities of the state," the congress added. The Constitutional Court must now review the text of the reform, which will then be submitted to a referendum. Parliamentary backers of socialist ex-leader Rafael Correa -- on whose watch foreign bases were outlawed -- voted against the measure.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
France eyes stricter laws for attacks on police after PSG win riots
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin says he wants tougher punishments for anyone found guilty of violence against police officers, in comments that come after clashes broke out following Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Champions League win. In a social media post, Darmanin argued that the current legal framework is too lenient and insufficient to deal with incidents occurring in the country. "Following this weekend's serious public order incidents and repeated disturbances, some of the convictions for violence, particularly against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property, are no longer commensurate with the level of violence in our country," he wrote. He added that magistrates must be able to respond with a wider scale of penalties that is "truly adapted to today's delinquency." "As I have publicly proposed, we need to radically change the law," Darmanin said, calling for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months. This sees judges find alternative arrangements to prison for shorter sentence and allows detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He also urged for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a "systematic minimum sentence" for those found guilty. A minimum of three months in prison for any assault on a representative of the state or a very high fine for any destruction were cited as examples. "These proposals, which we must implement quickly, guarantee the independence of the judiciary, which we must all protect and the essential firmness and common sense that our fellow citizens want," he stressed. Darmanin, who expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, has been vocal about increasing punishments for criminals. However, the measures floated on Tuesday would require new legislation and it's not guaranteed that lawmakers would back the proposals. PSG beat Inter Milan by a record 5-0 on Saturday at the Allianz Arena in Munich, bagging the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. Victory celebrations soon erupted and while these were largely peaceful, they spun out of control in some areas, particularly on the Champs-Elysées. According to Paris police, 559 people were arrested after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with young people. Two people died during the turbulent night. In Paris, a person who was riding a scooter was hit by a car and succumbed to his injuries and in the southern town of Dax, a 17-year-old teenager was stabbed to death. Clashes continued on Sunday night with people allegedly shooting fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Another 79 people were detained. When receiving the triumphant team at the Elysée Palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. "Nothing can justify what has happened in the last few hours," he said.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Weinstein lawyer brands accusers 'women with broken dreams'
A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out. These are the people they want you to believe, they're all women with broken dreams," defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of the women who testified against Weinstein at this trial. Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23 year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. 'He didn't listen' Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Aidala sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. He said it was not a question of whether his client engaged in sexual relations with the three women, but that those encounters were consensual. He described the encounters as "transactional" and "casting couch" scenarios involving young women who used their beauty and charm to make an older man open doors for them. Weinstein was the one they used, he argued, countering prosecutors who portrayed Weinstein as an all-powerful Hollywood figure. Aidala loudly reeled off metaphors to explain his version of events, seeking to win over the jury with jokes. He mimicked the victims to highlight inconsistencies, likening one of them to a child caught in a lie. The veteran defense attorney stressed that victims continued to associate with Weinstein after the alleged assaults, something they did not dispute, explaining that they feared jeopardizing their careers. During the trial, the three victims testified that their sexual encounters with Harvey Weinstein were not consensual. The retrial also heard new evidence from Kaja Sokola, a Polish former model who testified that Weinstein first sexually assaulted her when she was a minor at age 16. She said one occasion Weinstein pushed her onto a bed and forced her to have sex. "I told him to stop," she said, "but he didn't listen." Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. This time, hearings have received less media attention, taking place in the shadow of the highly anticipated trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, on trial blocks away at federal court on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. © 2025 AFP
