Kazakhstan

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Kazakhstan

306 articles
Link to: Suspended TV station permitted to broadcast again

Suspended TV station permitted to broadcast again

(JuHI/IFEX) – According to information received by JuHI, on 9 March 2002, the Kazakhstan Ministry of Transportation and Communications granted the Almaty-based television company TAN temporary broadcasting rights. However, the station is still required to address a number of problems by 7 April. According to sources in Almaty, Mukhtar Ablazov, one of the station’s main […]

Link to: Television company’s license suspended, independent mass media under attack

Television company’s license suspended, independent mass media under attack

(JuHI/IFEX) – JuHI was informed by Internews Kazakhstan of a number of recent incidents restricting the freedom of activity of independent, private mass media in Kazakhstan. According to information submitted to JuHI, on 4 March 2002, the government of Kazakhstan rendered a decision suspending all broadcasting rights for the television company “TAN” in the city […]

Link to: Ministry of the Interior orders armed occupation of independent television station

Ministry of the Interior orders armed occupation of independent television station

(RSF/IFEX) – In a 20 November 2001 letter to Minister of the Interior Bolat Iskanov, RSF asked the authorities in Kazakhstan to order the withdrawal of their troops from the studios of the independent television station KTK and respect the station’s independence. “Caught red-handed in the act of censoring, the authorities in Kazakhstan are mistaken […]

Link to: Criminal defamation charges against editor dropped, but harassment of journalists continues

Criminal defamation charges against editor dropped, but harassment of journalists continues

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 17 April 2001 letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, CPJ welcomed the recent decision of the Almaty prosecutor’s office to drop criminal defamation charges against Bigeldy Gabdullin, editor of the opposition weekly “XXI Vek”. However, the organisation remains deeply concerned about the government’s frequent use of politically-motivated criminal charges to harass opposition […]

Link to: IPI strongly condemns prosecution of editor and historian

IPI strongly condemns prosecution of editor and historian

(IPI/IFEX) – In a 13 March 2001 letter to President Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, IPI strongly condemned the prosecution of an editor and a historian in Kazakhstan. According to IPI’s sources, on 13 March, the Almaty District Court was to resume the trial of Ermurat Bapi, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “SolDat”, and historian Karishal Assanov. The […]

Link to: Journalist attacked and issued death threat

Journalist attacked and issued death threat

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of the Interior Kayrbek Suleymenov, RSF protested the attack against Lira Baiseitova, editor-in-chief of the independent newspaper “Respublika 2000”, which took place on Friday 15 September 2000 in Almaty. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, stated: “This attack is directly linked to Lira Baiseitova’s work as a journalist. It […]

Link to: Independent newspapers shut down for reprinting corruption allegations from foreign media

Independent newspapers shut down for reprinting corruption allegations from foreign media

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 9 August 2000 letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, CPJ expressed its outrage over his government’s apparent efforts to shut down the independent newspapers “SolDat” and “Vremya Po” for reprinting articles from foreign media about alleged corruption in the Kazakh government. In June and early July of this year, according to CPJ […]

Link to: CPJ protests harassment of newspaper

CPJ protests harassment of newspaper

(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 7 June 2000 letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, CPJ stated that it was disturbed by his government’s apparent efforts to intimidate, bankrupt, and ultimately silence the Almaty independent weekly “Nachnem s Ponedelnika” in response to its revelations of alleged official corruption. Staff at the newspaper claim they are under pressure from […]

Link to: President threatens media

President threatens media

(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, RSF expressed its concern following the head of state’s threats against independent and opposition media. RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard noted that “it is intolerable that a head of state who claims to want to ‘develop a democratic society’ would simultaneously attack press workers.” RSF also recalled […]

Link to: TV station fires news director for covering attacks on opposition leaders

TV station fires news director for covering attacks on opposition leaders

(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 20 April 2000 CPJ news alert: KAZAKHSTAN: TV STATION FIRES NEWS DIRECTOR FOR COVERING ATTACKS ON OPPOSITION LEADERS New York, April 20, 2000 — A TV news director in Kazakhstan was dismissed under official pressure after she covered the harassment of three opposition leaders, according to CPJ’s sources in […]

Link to: Russian TV station suspended

Russian TV station suspended

(GDF/IFEX) – The following is a 19 October 1999 GDF press release: On the afternoon of Saturday 16 October 1999, following an order from Kazakhtelecom, the rebroadcasting of the Russian television station NTV by private commercial television stations in Kazakhstan was suspended. According to GDF’s information, the suspension order came via telephone. Commercial stations in […]

Link to: Freedom of expression limits taint elections

Freedom of expression limits taint elections

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a Human Rights Watch press release Kazakh Elections Tainted Parliamentary Campaign Manipulation Echoes Presidential Election Tactics (New York, October 5, 1999) – In a new report released ahead of this week’s parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan, Human Rights Watch charged that the government was repeating the manipulation used in the January […]

Link to: Editor harassed, blackmailed

Editor harassed, blackmailed

(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 […]

Link to: Independent newspaper closed by authorities

Independent newspaper closed by authorities

(GDF/IFEX) – GDF has received a letter from the editorial board of the independent newspaper “Nachnyem s Ponedelnika”, which states that on the eve of Press Day (27 June 1999), Kazakh judicial authorities closed down the newspaper and seized its bank accounts. According to the letter sent by “Nachnyem s Ponedelnika”, the newspaper was closed […]

Link to: Independent media absent from recent elections

Independent media absent from recent elections

**Updates IFEX alerts of 8 January 1999 and 11 November 1998** (GDF/IFEX) – The following is a GDF report reviewing freedom of expression abuses during Kazakhstan’s recent presidential election campaign: January 25, 1999 Results of election campaign research (presidential election in Kazakhstan on January 10, 1999) prepared by the Glasnost Defense Foundation and the Kazakh […]

Link to: Kazakhstan’s presidential campaign found grossly unfair; journalists, independent media harassed, threatened

Kazakhstan’s presidential campaign found grossly unfair; journalists, independent media harassed, threatened

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is a 5 January 1999 HRW report on irregularities during the Kazakhstan presidential election, including including harassment, intimidation and threats against journalists and independent media: **Updates IFEX alert of 11 November 1998** Kazakhstan’s presidential campaign found grossly unfair (January 5, 1999) — Coercion, threats and the repression of opposition activists have […]