About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Alerts - Kazakhstan

---

Kazakhstan

Journalist seriously injured in assassination attempt

Lukpan Akhmedyarov is known for his criticism of the authorities and prior to the attack had received several warnings from the public prosecutor's office and reported being followed.

Kazakhstan

Human Rights Watch urges authorities to allow peaceful protests to proceed

Civil society activists have planned a series of rallies to mark 100 days after police opened fire on unarmed protesters in the city of Zhanaozen, andauthorities have already started to arrest and fine participants.

Kazakhstan

Editor Igor Vinyavsky released

The editor of the independent weekly newspaper "Vzglyad" was granted a pardon and released after nearly two months in a pre-trial detention centre in Almaty.

Kazakhstan

Labour rights lawyer Natalia Sokolova released, but with restrictions

Human Rights Watch says the authorities violated Sokolova's right to freedom of expression because she was prosecuted for speaking out on issues such as wage disparity and oil workers' rights.

Kazakhstan / Germany

Make rights key to good relations, says Human Rights Watch

The rights organisation is concerned about the violent crackdown on protesters and online censorship that occurred following a strike in the oil-rich town of Zhanaozen.

Kazakhstan

Security service interrogates editor, raids newsroom

For two consecutive days, KNB agents interrogated Oksana Makushina in connection with a press conference held on 30 January at which she spoke in defense of Igor Vinyavsky, imprisoned editor of the independent weekly "Vzglyad."

Kazakhstan

Independent editor imprisoned

Igor Vinyavsky has been indicted on criminal charges of "making public calls to violently overthrow Kazakhstan's constitutional regime".

Kazakhstan

Independent editor detained, newsrooms raided

Igor Vinyavsky was detained in an ongoing crackdown by the security service on critical media and opposition activists, which also involved a raid on an independent broadcaster.

Kazakhstan

Journalists prevented from covering violent clashes in Zhanaozen; ARTICLE 19 outlines necessary reforms

The absence of information following several the incidents exemplifies Kazakhstan's lack of progress in protecting and promoting the right to freedom of expression, says ARTICLE 19.

Kazakhstan

Reporter sentenced to "restriction of freedom"

Valery Surganov was convicted on a defamation charge, and was given a curfew and banned from leaving Almaty without police consent, among other restrictions.

Kazakhstan

Television crew assaulted after covering labour strike

The assailants seized a notebook computer, extensive video footage and a backpack with reporting equipment during the attack on Orken Bisen and Asan Amilov.

Kazakhstan / Kyrgyzstan

Three men found guilty in journalist's death

Gennady Pavlyuk, who wrote under the pseudonym Ibrahim Rustambek, died after he was bound in tape and pushed out of the window of an apartment building in Almaty.

Kazakhstan

Media organisations concerned about draft broadcasting law

Adil Soz and seven other media organisations say that parts of the proposed "Law on Television and Radio Broadcasting" do not conform with international access to information standards.

Kazakhstan

Authorities harass independent online TV station, close studio

Harassment of Stan TV and the independent news agency Namystan intensified after they covered an unprecedented strike by oil workers in the western province of Mangystau that was violently suppressed by the authorities.

Kazakhstan

LiveJournal portal, several blogs suspended

Some of the blogs on the portal allegedly violated the law on "disseminating materials containing propaganda for terrorism, religious extremism, and incitement to commit acts of terrorism".

Kazakhstan

Labour lawyer faces criminal charges for addressing workers on issue of wage disparity

Making such actions subject to heavy criminal penalties is an illegitimate interference with the right to freedom of expression, says Human Rights Watch.

Kazakhstan

Link to victim's work ignored in trial of Kyrgyz journalist's accused killers

"Justice will not be done without further investigation into the possibility that the murder was linked to the victim's professional and political activities," RSF said.

Kazakhstan

Regional prosecutor refuses to probe threats against critical journalist

Alla Zlobina believes that recent threats and intimidation of her daughter stem from an article she wrote in which she accused regional authorities of being partially responsible for the floods that hit western Kazakhstan in April 2011.

Kazakhstan

New legislation aimed at protecting media from damage claims only "a first step", says Adil Soz

The new law stipulates that legal bodies suing mass media outlets and journalists "for the protection of honor, dignity, and business reputation" cannot claim financial compensation for moral damages.

Kazakhstan

Publisher goes missing days after attack

The timing of Daniyar Moldashev's disappearance -- only days before Kazakhstan's presidential vote -- and the disturbing circumstances surrounding it have caused concern among colleagues.

Kazakhstan

Investigators cast robbery as motive for Pavlyuk murder

CPJ is concerned that the murder of Gennady Pavlyuk has been classified as a robbery without an exhaustive investigation into the possibility it was related to his journalism work.

Kazakhstan

Construction company withdraws lawsuit against independent newspaper

"Uralskaya Nedelya" had been facing a crippling fine after reporting that the company began preparations for a state project long before the tender was announced.

Kazakhstan

Legislative amendments fall short of decriminalising defamation, says Adil Soz

Adil Soz believes recent Criminal Code amendments serve to diminish some penalties but do not sufficiently address the issue of criminalisation of defamation.

Kazakhstan

ARTICLE 19 calls on parliament to adopt Law on Access to Public Information

Kazakhstan is one of the few member states of the OSCE without an access to information law, according to ARTICLE 19.

Kazakhstan

Lawsuit against independent newspaper dismissed

The "Central Asia Monitor" newspaper was sued for US$2.4 million after it published critical articles about several companies.

Kazakhstan

Media organisations express concern over seizure of newspaper's assets

A criminal case was filed against the "Central Asia Monitor" following the publication of several critical stories.

Kazakhstan

Newspaper ordered to pay approx. US$136,000 for "moral damages"

The editor-in-chief of "Uralskaya Nedelya" says that the fine will bankrupt the paper and force it to close.

Kazakhstan

Imprisoned journalist goes on hunger strike

Ramazan Yesergepov launched a hunger strike to protest his unlawful imprisonment as well as the failure of the OSCE to pay attention to rights violations in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan

Draft administrative code props up harsh penalties against media, ARTICLE 19 warns

ARTICLE 19 calls on the government to ensure the draft code meets international freedom of expression standards.

Kazakhstan

State-owned Internet provider blocks critical news websites

News portals Respublika and Respublika-Delovoye Obozreniye often criticize Kazakh authorities for corruption and human rights violations.

Kazakhstan

Reporter who covered oil worker strike is assaulted

"We condemn the brutal attack on our colleague and call on law enforcement officials to quickly apprehend and prosecute all responsible," said CPJ.

Kazakhstan

Embattled independent weekly paralysed by damages

A Kazakh court denied the newspaper's appeal, prohibiting it from being distributed until it pays approximately US$400,000 in damages.

Kazakhstan

Press seizure underscores concerns about government's commitment to freedom

An Almaty court ordered the seizure of five newspapers' print runs and issued an order banning reports "damaging the honor and integrity" of the president's son-in-law.

Kyrgyzstan / Kazakhstan

Kazakh police say Kyrgyz citizens suspected in editor's killing

The police did not identify the suspects or describe their alleged roles in the murder of Kyrgyz editor Gennady Pavlyuk.

Kazakhstan / Kyrgyzstan

Prominent Kyrgyz journalist killed in Almaty

CPJ urged authorities to investigate the possibility that the journalist was killed in retaliation for his critical reporting on the Kyrgyz government.

Kazakhstan

News editor threatened by local business woman

The threats were made after a message was aired stating a local businesswoman had been evading taxes for several years.

Kazakhstan

Parliament moves to further restrict media freedom as country assumes OSCE chairmanship

IPI urges OSCE member states to strongly criticise such press freedom restrictions, "which go against the spirit and intent of the OSCE itself."

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

Give rights defender a fair trial, Human Rights Watch urges

Handling of manslaughter charges raises concerns

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

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".

Kazakhstan

Human Rights Watch urges government to rescind new Internet law

The government of Kazakhstan should rescind a new law that significantly restricts media freedoms.

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

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

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.

Kazakhstan

CPJ calls on President Nazarbayev to stop politically motivated lawsuits against journalists

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 30 March 2009 CPJ press release:

Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

Pro-opposition journalist Bakhytzhan Nurpeisov attacked, hospitalised with multiple injuries

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2009 CPJ press release:

1 2 3 4 5