COPENHAGEN, 31 July 2014 – Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, today expressed regret over the 30 July ruling by a Kazakhstani court to deny parole to jailed labour activist Roza Tuletayeva.

"I regret the court's decision to keep Roza Tuletayeva behind bars, apparently for her outspokenness and activism on behalf of fellow oil workers. This decision also came as a surprise, given indications I received in recent meetings with Kazakhstani officials that she was expected to be released in the near future. I plan to follow up with the authorities and continue to closely monitor this and other troubling cases in the country," Santos said.

Roza Tuletayeva, a former employee of the OzenMunaiGaz company who defended the rights of striking oil workers, was jailed on charges of organizing protests in 2011 in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen. The protests turned violent and were suppressed by the authorities, leaving at least 16 people dead.

Tuletayeva was sentenced to a seven-year prison term in June 2012 before her sentence was reduced to five years. In January 2014, she was transferred to a minimum-security penal colony. Santos welcomed those decisions during her visit to Kazakhstan this June, during which she met with jailed opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov and senior government and parliamentary officials.

Ahead of her visit, Santos had also petitioned the Kazakhstani government to allow her to visit Tuletayeva, in part to follow up on claims that the activist had been tortured and sexually abused while in custody. Her request was not processed by the authorities in time.

Santos welcomed recent signs of willingness on the part of Kazakhstan's government to openly discuss sensitive cases.