(RSF/IFEX) – On 3 June 2003, RSF voiced its concern about judicial harassment of the opposition newspaper “SolDat” and its editor-in-chief Ermurat Bapi after the newspaper was ordered to pay more than 300,000 euros (approx. US$350,000) for alleged tax evasion in a judicial decision of questionable legality. “‘SolDat’ is known for its allegations of corruption […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 3 June 2003, RSF voiced its concern about judicial harassment of the opposition newspaper “SolDat” and its editor-in-chief Ermurat Bapi after the newspaper was ordered to pay more than 300,000 euros (approx. US$350,000) for alleged tax evasion in a judicial decision of questionable legality.
“‘SolDat’ is known for its allegations of corruption by senior officials and for opening its columns to leading opposition figures, and we fear that the purpose of this pressure by the judicial and tax authorities is simply to destroy the newspaper,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Information Minister Mukhtar Kul-Mukhamed.
“Since the press law exempts the news media from all the sales taxes that ‘SolDat’ is accused of evading, we call on you to explain this conviction for tax evasion and to do everything possible to ensure that there are no further threats to ‘SolDat’,” Ménard added.
On 22 May, a tax commission in Almaty sentenced “SolDat” to pay 57 million tenge (approx. US$380,000; 325,000 euros) on the grounds that it had not paid any sales tax for 10 years, although the news media are exempted from paying such taxes under the press law.
Bapi has been banned from leaving the capital until a decision is given on the appeal he filed the same day. Subject to a personal prosecution for tax fraud, Bapi announced his resignation as editor-in-chief on 27 May, explaining that he thereby hoped to save “SolDat” as an independent newspaper.
In addition, on 28 April, a court in Astana sentenced “SolDat” to pay two million tenge (approx. US$13,350; 11,400 euros) in damages to Member of Parliament Yerasyl Abylkassymov and his wife for allegedly libelling his wife in a 14 December 2001 report about management problems at the higher educational institute she runs.
In an attack on “SolDat”‘s main office on 21 May 2002, thugs struck two employees, stole computer equipment and destroyed other equipment. In 2001, Bapi was prosecuted for publishing an article considered insulting to President Nazarbayev. The president pardoned him a few days later.
