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Kazakhstan

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From the Communiqué

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Editor's detention exposes regime's crushing of dissent in wake of December violence

Igor Vinyavsky, the editor-in-chief of one of the last remaining independent national newspapers in Kazakhstan, has a long history of being a thorn in the side of the Kazakh government. So IFEX members called his detention last month by Kazakhstan's security services "politically motivated." Adil Soz and 28 other IFEX members are rallying together for his release - and to draw attention to the growing trend of silencing those critical of the government in the wake of violent protests in Zhanaozen last December.

Government's promise of press freedom reforms rings hollow

Kazakhstan is planning to make good on improving the country's free expression situation - a promise it made to secure the 2010 chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE), an OSCE politician told a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) last week. But with free expression having actually deteriorated in the past few years, the outlook is bleak, say CPJ and the International Press Institute (IPI).

See all articles: Kazakhstan

Campaigns and Advocacy

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Twenty-nine IFEX members call for release of independent newspaper editor

Twenty-nine IFEX members have signed a letter to the Prosecutor General about the detention of editor Igor Vinyavsky, whose detention is believed to be politically motivated, calling for him to be released and for the evidence leading to his arrest to be made public.

ARTICLE 19 opposes Kazakhstan's candidacy for membership in UN Human Rights Council

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.

OSCE commitments remain unfulfilled, ARTICLE 19 and Adil Soz note

Kazakhstan's authorities have failed to fulfil their commitment to review the defamation legislation and adopt access to information legislation.

See all campaign news: Kazakhstan

Reports

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CPJ special report: Disdaining press freedom, Kazakhstan undermines OSCE

The Nazarbayev government has reneged on its promises and intensified its repressive practices, CPJ said in a new report.

Human Rights Watch calls on Kazakhstan to improve its human rights record

Changes needed for upcoming OSCE leadership role


See all reports: Kazakhstan