Prominent workers' rights activist attacked in Kazakhstan

KAZAKHSTAN: Late in the evening of September 22, Ainur Kurmanov, a well known workers' rights activist and organizer, was viciously attacked by unknown thugs at the entrance to his home in the capital city, Almaty. He is in a hospital now, suffering from concussion and head wounds. He is badly bruised from head to toe and has a broken finger.

Judging from the nature of Ainur's wounds, a heavy instrument was used against him, possibly a metal bar. He was attacked from behind, without warning, and although left with little chance of defending himself, he still managed to resist the attack and return to his flat before receiving urgently needed medical treatment.

Ainur is in a hospital now. His wounds have been bandaged and stitched and he has received medical treatment.

Recently, Ainur has conducted important campaigning work in defence of workers at the Almatinskii Wagon Factory and also at the Almatinskii Heavy Engineering Plant (AZTM). With Ainur's active assistance, workers at these plants went on strike and participated in protest meetings and other activities. As a result, hundreds of jobs were saved at the wagon factory and the plant was rescued from bankruptcy and collapse.

Factory bosses are attempting to prevent similar worker actions from being repeated at the AZTM plant, where the struggle to save jobs has just begun.

The International Metalworkers' Federation is calling on trade unions and social organizations to protest these assaults against workers' rights activists and demand the immediate arrest of those guilty for this attack and for the perpetrators of the assault to be exposed.