Artur Lastayev, Commissioner for Human Rights in Kazakhstan
In any society, the true test of a human rights system lies not in its declarations, but in how it responds to everyday injustice. While global debates often focus on high-level commitments and international frameworks, real progress is made in quieter ways: when someone believes they can safely file a complaint, when institutions listen, and when those in power are held accountable.
In Kazakhstan, we are seeing signs that such change is taking root. The 2024 Annual Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights, which I recently presented, offers a view into the evolving relationship between the state and its citizens—a relationship increasingly shaped by transparency, responsiveness, and institutional reform.
Last year, my office received 6,748 citizen appeals—a 16.9% increase from 2023. At first glance, this might raise concern. But in truth, I view this as a measure of growing legal awareness and public trust in the complaint process. Citizens are not only more informed about their rights, but more confident that their voices will be heard—and that action will follow.
This rising engagement places the Ombudsman’s Office at the front line of human rights protection. It also means we must do more than monitor or document abuse. We must act. In 2024 alone, disciplinary measures were taken against 97 public officials following the review of complaints. Five were held administratively liable, and four cases resulted in criminal investigations.
These outcomes show that complaint systems, when properly empowered, can serve as engines of reform.
Confronting Torture Through Systemic Reform
Nowhere is this more evident than in our efforts to prevent torture and ill-treatment—a historically sensitive and often hidden problem in many countries, especially within closed institutions. In Kazakhstan, we have worked deliberately to bring transparency to these spaces, using both legal reforms and hands-on oversight.
The numbers are encouraging. Complaints related to torture fell by 30% in 2024, following a 50% drop the previous year. While statistics alone never tell the full story, this sustained decline suggests that structural changes are having a real impact. These include the clear criminalisation of torture in our legal code, the strengthening of penalties, and—critically—the installation of video surveillance and electronic complaint terminals in detention facilities. These tools not only deter abuse but also empower detainees to report it safely and promptly.
My office conducted over 800 unannounced visits to closed institutions in 2024, including pre-trial detention centers, penal colonies, and social care facilities. These visits are direct encounters with individuals whose rights are most at risk. Often, the most important insights come not from official records, but from a quiet conversation in a corridor, or a hand-delivered note from someone who had given up hope.
During the OSCE Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw last year, I was asked to share Kazakhstan’s experience in this area. International experts welcomed our progress, but for me, this is not about earning praise. It is about doing our duty to the people we serve.
Human rights are not abstract ideals. They manifest in the daily lives of women facing domestic violence, children experiencing bullying, or families navigating disability care. In 2024, complaints related to women’s rights nearly doubled in Kazakhstan. Those concerning children’s rights rose 2.5 times. Behind each statistic lies a story—a life disrupted, a right denied, and, hopefully, a remedy found.
We are learning that individual grievances can reveal systemic patterns. Many of the complaints we receive relate to the same set of institutions: law enforcement bodies, educational systems, healthcare facilities. This signals where reforms are most urgently needed. And it confirms a broader truth: human rights progress does not come from sweeping declarations but from addressing the cumulative weight of small injustices.
Aligning Domestic Progress with Global Commitments
Kazakhstan’s broader human rights trajectory is shaped by its international commitments. We are party to all major human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture. We regularly engage with international mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review under the UN Human Rights Council. But aligning with international norms is only the first step. The real challenge is integrating those norms into the daily workings of the state—and ensuring they are meaningful to ordinary citizens.
This is why we continue to invest in international partnerships, learning from best practices in prisoner rights, disability inclusion, child protection, and institutional accountability. But the heart of reform remains domestic. The real work happens when a citizen files a complaint—and the system responds with resolve.
Of course, challenges remain. No country is immune to institutional inertia or bureaucratic resistance. But I believe the growing use of the complaint system by Kazakhstan’s citizens is an encouraging sign—one that is beginning to function more honestly.
The Ombudsman’s Office will continue to listen, investigate, and act. We will continue to visit the places few others do. And we will continue to advocate for a system that sees every complaint as a chance to do better.
In a region often shaped by geopolitical forces, the quiet work of human rights can seem peripheral. But I would argue the opposite: the health of a state, and its legitimacy, rests on whether its people feel protected, heard, and empowered.
In Kazakhstan, we are still learning. But we are learning in the right direction—one complaint at a time.
