Kazakhstan

(RSF/IFEX) – Reporters Without Borders has condemned censorship by the Kazakh government, which has removed the right to use the .kz suffix (equivalent to .uk) from two websites it finds troublesome, including that of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, or “Borat”. The worldwide press freedom organisation said it was concerned by the politicisation of the […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 8 December 2005, Almaty police stopped a vehicle that was delivering copies of the opposition newspaper “Juma Times”. The incident took place only a few meters from its printing press. Police ordered the driver to take the car to the Medeo District Police Department, saying they had to seize all copies […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On November 27, 2005, Aset Kunakbayev, a videographer for the 31 Channel programme “Reider”, was assaulted while covering a fire at Ak zhar market, in Almaty. Asel Yelemesova, another journalist who witnessed the incident, reported that “three men in civilian clothing who refused to identify themselves knocked [Kunakbayev] to the ground and […]

(Freedom House/IFEX) – The following is a 14 November 2005 Freedom House press release: KAZAKHSTAN: MEDIA CRACKDOWN CASTS DOUBT ON FAIR DECEMBER ELECTION NEW YORK, November 14, 2005 – With little less than a month until presidential elections in Kazakhstan, official restrictions on independent media freedoms are threatening the chances of a free and fair […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – During the night of 6-7 November 2005, unknown individuals vandalised the offices of “Region-Plus” newspaper in Kapchagai, southern Kazakhstan. On the morning of 7 November, newspaper staff found stones in the editorial office and noticed that a glass balcony door had been broken. Police believe the attackers had a key to enter […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – Court proceedings against two opposition newspapers took place in the Almaty Inter-district Administrative Court on 22 October 2005. The court delivered a ruling obliging Gulzhan Yergaliyeva, editor-in-chief of “Svoboda Slova” newspaper, to pay 50 “monthly calculated indexes” (approx. US$360). Yergaliyeva and her attorney left the courtroom in the middle of the session […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 19 October 2005, the popular opposition newspaper “Svoboda Slova” reported that a car transporting copies of the paper was stopped by Almaty police a few meters from the Dauyr printing press and police proceeded to seize 50,000 copies of the paper. According to a “Svoboda Slova” statement, the seizure was based […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – The press agency of the opposition party For a Just Kazakhstan has reported that five journalists and a camera operator were detained briefly by Almaty police on 19 October 2005. They include Saya Issa of “Svoboda Slova” newspaper, Olesya Gassanova and Almas Nurdos of the online publication Stan.kz, Ruslan Sapabekov of “Juma […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 12 October 2005 in Almaty, Kaziz Toguzbayev, a journalist with “Azat” newspaper, was sentenced to five days’ administrative detention on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration under Article 373 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The journalist was arrested on 10 October while covering a demonstration […]

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a 12 October 2005 Human Rights Watch press release: Kazakhstan: Attacks on Dissent Bode Ill for Free Elections Condoleezza Rice Should Urge Kazakh Authorities to End Pre-Election Abuses (New York, October 12, 2005) – By imposing new restrictions on freedom of assembly and harassing the political opposition and independent media, […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 1 and 2 October 2005, Mikhail Mysikov, owner and editor of the “Region Plus” newspaper, was attacked and the apartment of Vladimir Taran, a journalist with the same paper, was broken into in the southern town of Kapchagai. Mysikov was attacked on 1 October by an unknown man who knocked on […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 27 August 2005, Kazhymurat Abilkaliyev, assistant editor of “Altyn Gasyr” newspaper, was severely assaulted by four unidentified men in the village of Geolog, Atyrau region (western Kazakhstan), while distributing copies of his newspaper. Abilkaliyev was driving a car at the time of the incident. Police have yet to find his attackers. […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 27 September 2005 CPJ press release: As Kazakhstan vote nears, six papers blocked from publishing New York, September 27, 2005 – Six newspapers that have covered an opposition candidate’s presidential campaign were prevented on Monday from publishing their current editions, according to local and international press reports. Managers at […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 14 September 2005, unidentified individuals broke into the home of popular journalist Alexei Goncharov in the city of Shymkent, southern Kazakhstan, forcing the door of his flat open. The intruders took a golden chain and earrings, but left money, electronic gear and all other valuables behind, after scattering documents and other […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 14 September 2005, Adil Soz reported that the Kazakh authorities have prevented the popular opposition newspaper “Respublika Delovoye Obozreniye” and its successors from being published. On 12 September, the Almaty Economic Court voided a process transferring the rights to issue a number of popular opposition newspapers from one company to another. […]

(Adil Soz/IFEX) – The 20 May 2005 edition of “Set KZ” newspaper, the successor paper to the recently closed “Respublika Delovoye Obozreniye” (“Republic Business Review”) newspaper, was confiscated. Early in the morning on 20 May, traffic police in Almaty stopped the car that was delivering copies of “Set KZ” to vendors. Refusing to identify themselves, […]