(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. […]
(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.
In another incident, four unidentified persons attacked Azamat Dospanov, an “Altyn Gasyr” volunteer, on 13 September. The attack resulted in Dospanov suffering brain and vertebrae injuries. Dospanov said his attackers were riding in a vehicle and tried to hit the car in which he was riding. “Altyn Gasyr” editorial staff use the car to deliver copies of the paper. Dospanov gave police the vehicle’s registration number and said he could identify his attackers. The Atyrau Internal Affairs Department (police department) has yet to investigate the incident, despite the formal report filed by Dospanov.
“Altyn Gasyr” is an Atyrau-based opposition newspaper. It is published in Russian and Kazakh language versions and has a circulation of 10,000 copies. Zhumabai Dozspanov, the paper’s editor-in-chief, is a well-known opposition figure in the country and also leads the political movement “For a Just Kazakhstan”. He believes both incidents were related to his professional activities as a journalist and political activist.
