(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is greatly alarmed by the recent harassment and blackmail attempts, apparently initiated by the Kazak State Security Service (KNB), against Bigeldin Gabdullin, editor-in-chief of the “XXI Vek” (21st Century) opposition newspaper in Almaty. Gabdullin told CPJ that a man who identified himself only as a member of the KNB telephoned him on […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is greatly alarmed by the recent harassment and blackmail
attempts, apparently initiated by the Kazak State Security Service (KNB),
against Bigeldin Gabdullin, editor-in-chief of the “XXI Vek” (21st Century)
opposition newspaper in Almaty.
Gabdullin told CPJ that a man who identified himself only as a member of the
KNB
telephoned him on 19 July 1999 and insisted on a meeting. Gabdullin agreed
to meet him later that day at the Hotel Otrar in Almaty. The KNB official
showed Gabdullin a videotape he claimed had been taken by a hidden camera
that allegedly showed Gabdullin accepting a bribe. He threatened to air the
video on national television unless Gabdullin agreed to stop criticizing the
government in his newspaper. Gabdullin denied ever taking any bribe, and
refused to discuss the matter further.
On 21 July, during its evening news broadcast, the national commercial
television station KTK (Kommercheskiy Televisionniy Kanal) aired a video
clip of Gabdullin receiving money from an unseen figure beyond camera range.
The news anchor, Andrei Prokopiev, announced that KTK had recently “come
across a tape” that showed Gabdullin receiving a wad of cash from someone he
ambiguously identified as an “agent”, implying that the editor worked for
the State Security Service as well as for the opposition. Prokopiev provided
no details and offered no evidence to back any of his claims.
Gabdullin told CPJ he was unaware that he had been the subject of secret
service surveillance and was greatly alarmed. He stressed that there was
nothing illicit about the event filmed by the hidden camera, which involved
a legitimate exchange of money between himself and a colleague who was
actually a shareholder in the newspaper. Since the broadcast, Gabdullin has
sent a letter to KTK, demanding they provide legal documentation in support
of their allegations. In addition, he has also requested the General
Prosecutor’s Office inform him of any criminal investigation being carried
out against him related to the filming and the airing of the videotape.
CPJ recalls that this is not the first incident of state repression against
this newspaper. In September 1998 the offices of “XXI Vek” were fire-bombed
and illegally shut-down temporarily (see IFEX alert of 30 September 1998).
And officials claiming large sums of money have recently filed a number of
civil defamation suits against “XXI Vek” and other independent newspapers in
Kazakstan.
Gabdullin believes the latest threats against him were prompted by his
newspaper’s plans to publish a series of articles about hearings that the US
Congress held in mid-July on Kazakstan’s human rights record. On 16 July, a
group of Kazak human rights monitors and political figures testified in
Washington about President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s government’s repressive
policies against political opponents and independent media. These hearings
received scant coverage in the Kazak media because many journalists fear
reprisals from the government. CPJ fears that Nazarbayev’s administration’s
attempts to control independent and opposition media will only increase in
the run-up to parliamentary elections this fall.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
weekly
commitments to guarantee press freedom
in
retaliation for
his journalistic activity only serves to underscore the recent revelations
of human rights abuses that have so embarrassed His Excellency’s government
thoroughly, and to ensure his right to practice his profession freely and
safely
Appeals To
His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev
President of Kazakstan
Republic Square
Almaty, Kazakstan 480091
Fax: +7 3272 637 633
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
