ARTICLE 19

The “Azadliq” newspaper correspondent was abducted by six masked assailants who warned him to “be clever” and not mention President Ilham Aliyev in his articles.

On the occasion of World Water Day, ARTICLE 19 reminds the international community that freedom of expression, the free flow of information and transparency are central to the full realisation of the right to water.

“The Council of Europe needs to ensure that individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, including the right to access information, are not restricted by companies that manage search engines and social media platforms,” said ARTICLE 19.

A burgeoning number of states recognise that such concepts as “defamation of religions” are contrary to international human rights law on freedom of expression, as well as counterproductive to global efforts to combat discrimination against religious minorities.

ARTICLE 19 emphasizes the government’s restriction of the right to freedom of expression including emergency powers, the Computer Crime Act, defamation and lèse-majesté laws.

ARTICLE 19 highlighted the restrictive legislation related to the media and freedom of expression; the failure of the government to implement the access to information legislation; and the frequent attacks on journalists, human rights defenders and political opponents.

ARTICLE 19’s submission highlights the restrictive legislation regarding the media and freedom of expression; the lack of comprehensive access to information legislation; frequent attacks on journalists, human rights defenders and media workers.

ARTICLE 19 opposes this candidacy due to the poor human rights record of the Kazakh government and its failure to implement recent pledges to improve press freedom.