Court upholds harsh verdict against human rights defender
The decision of a court to uphold the verdict imposed on a leading human rights defender is a terrible miscarriage of justice, says Human Rights Watch.
Authorities seize embattled weekly’s print run
Court officers confiscated the entire print run of the independent weekly “Respublika-Delovoye Obozreniye” and authorities froze its bank accounts.
Leading human rights defender sentenced to four years’ imprisonment
In the course of the two-day trial, the judge did not admit into evidence any of several petitions made by Evgeniy Zhovtis’s lawyer.
Give rights defender a fair trial, Human Rights Watch urges
Handling of manslaughter charges raises concerns (Human Rights Watch/IFEX) – (New York, September 1, 2009) – The Kazakh government should ensure that Kazakhstan’s most prominent human rights defender, who faces manslaughter charges following an automobile accident, gets a fair trial, Human Rights Watch said today. The government’s past harassment of its critics and its handling […]
CPJ calls for editor’s release, outraged by lack of due process
CPJ calls on the Taraz Regional Court to overturn on appeal a jail sentence given to editor Ramazan Yesergepov.
Editor sentenced to three years’ imprisonment
On 8 August 2009, editor-in-chief Ramazan Yesergepov was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for “illegally obtaining and divulging state secrets”.
Human Rights Watch urges government to rescind new Internet law
The government of Kazakhstan should rescind a new law that significantly restricts media freedoms.
Journalist receives death threats
Zhanary Davletova, a journalist with the “Uralskaya Nedelya” newspaper who has written about police corruption, says she has received threatening phone calls.
CPJ urges president to veto restrictive Internet law
CPJ has written to President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to veto a severely restrictive draft Internet law.
Kazakhstan must improve free expression record ahead of OSCE chairmanship, says Human Rights Watch
The Kazakh government has seven months to improve its human rights record to meet the standards of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) before it takes over the institution’s chairmanship.
Human Rights Watch calls on Kazakhstan to improve its human rights record
Changes needed for upcoming OSCE leadership role (HRW/IFEX) – (New York, May 20, 2009) – The Kazakh government should use the remaining seven months before it takes on the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to bring its human rights record in line with the responsibilities this prominent role entails, […]
CPJ calls on President Nazarbayev to stop politically motivated lawsuits against journalists
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 30 March 2009 CPJ press release: His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev President of Kazakhstan Ak-Orda Presidential Residence Astana Via facsimile: +7 7172 74 56 31 Dear President Nazarbayev, As an independent, nonpartisan organization defending press freedom worldwide, the Committee to Protect Journalists would like to draw your attention to your […]
Journalist Aziz Myrzabayev attacked, his camera stolen after filming police raid
(CJES/IFEX) – Aziz Myrzabayev, a journalist with the Otyrar television channel in Shymkent, South Kazakhstan province, took part in a police raid under editorial assignment in the early hours of 17 March 2009. During the raid, the police pulled over a car with no license plates. The people in the car demanded that the journalist […]
Attacks on the Press in 2008: Kazakhstan
Attacks on the Press in 2008: Kazakhstan
Pro-opposition journalist Bakhytzhan Nurpeisov attacked, hospitalised with multiple injuries
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 6 February 2009 CPJ press release: Pro-opposition journalist severely beaten in Kazakhstan New York, February 6, 2009 – Following a vicious attack in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on a reporter for a pro-opposition weekly, the Committee to Protect Journalists called today for the Kazakh authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent […]
“Taszhargan” newspaper and journalist Almas Kusherbayev ordered to compensate government official in defamation case
(Adil Soz/IFEX) – On 16 January 2009, a court ordered the Kazakh opposition newspaper “Taszhargan” and one of its reporters to pay US$25,000 in compensation in a defamation case. The case stemmed from an article published in the newspaper in April 2008. The author, Almas Kusherbayev, expressed his opinion on the problem of the increasing […]