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Almaty court bans Communist Party of Kazakhstan for six months

Apart from the six-month ban on the activity of the party, the court awarded an administrative fine to its leader

ASTANA, October 5 (Itar-Tass) — A specialized court for administrative cases in Kazakhstan’s city of Almaty has banned the activity of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan for the term of six months.

The court based its resolution on that fact that party leader, Gaziz Aldamzharov, was involved in the activity of the unregistered public association Popular Front, which is an administrative offence, according to prosecution agencies.

Apart from the six-month ban on the activity of the party, the court awarded an administrative fine to its leader.

Gaziz Aldamzhanov, in the mean time, said the court ruling was unlawful. “They think that we as a party and myself personally are taking an active part in the activity of the unregistered public association Popular Front. But who said it is a public association? Any public association begins when it adopts a charter, hold a founding congress and obtains registration in a two-month period,” he told Itar-Tass over the phone. “The status of the Popular Front has not yet been fixed, which will be done at a congress in December. But the court decided it has already been.”

He also said he initiated the establishment of the Popular Front as a private individual rather than the Communist Party leader. “The say the party is taking an active part in the activity of the Popular Front but not a single party member has filed an admission application. Even I myself has not yet done this although I am one of its initiators,” he stressed.

The Communist leader said he believed the court ruling was linked to the election campaign to the national parliament. “It was done because the do not want us to take part in the elections,” Aldamzhanov said.

Along with the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, there is the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan. The two split from a united Communist party in 2004 over differences in their positions on a number of issues, such admitting businessmen to the party’s governing bodies.