EU must stand with peaceful protesters & uphold human rights

On the recent crackdown on peaceful protests in Kazakhstan, Greens/EFA MEP Viola von Cramon, comments:

"After 30 years of Nazarbayev’s ruthless rule, intimidation, social injustice, and rampant corruption, people of Kazakhstan had enough and started protesting in different cities - demanding the long-overdue political reforms. The protests were overwhelmingly peaceful from the outset until a small number of people, in orchestrated manner, resorted to violence creating pretext for the government’s brutal retaliation against all protesters.
 
"The disproportionate use of force by the Kazakh government and President Tokayev’s order to 'shoot to kill without warning' is deplorable. Moreover, president Tokayev invited predominantly Russian troops to suppress the protests of his own people, majority of whom is marching peacefully and with legitimate demands.
 
"The EU needs to stand with those protesting peacefully and uphold human rights that are now more than ever under attack in Kazakhstan."