(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 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 his door and asked him to come out. The attacker said he had something extremely important to tell the journalist. Then he struck Mysikov in the face with a sharp instrument and fled the scene. The journalist suffered a cut eyelid. Mysikov reported the attack to police and the Prosecutor’s Office. An investigation is underway.
The following day, unknown individuals broke down the balcony door of Taran’s apartment. Police arrived later and found a rubber item and broken glass. The police officers did not record the item and advised the journalist not to file a report about the incident.
Both journalists believe the incidents are linked to their professional activities. Mysikov has published “Region Plus”, which has a circulation of 2500 copies, since January. The paper is known for publishing critical reports about the local executive body. Taran has recently published a number of articles criticising the “akimat” (mayor’s office) for organising autumn fairs for the sole purpose of improving the mayor’s public image. The paper also published a photo displaying Kazakhstani national flags hanging upside down at the autumn fair. Meanwhile, the police recently filed a lawsuit following publication in “Region Plus” of an article entitled “Cops” that criticised local officers. The police estimated the damage caused by the article to be 5 million tenge (approx. US$37,000).
