Kazakhstan journalist Olesya Vertinskaya threatened, beaten
Stockholm, July 22, 2022 – Kazakh authorities must fully and transparently investigate the recent attack on journalist Olesya Vertinskaya and ensure her safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the morning of Tuesday, July 19, an unidentified man attacked Vertinskaya, a correspondent for the independent news website and advocacy group Dorozhniy Kontrol, outside…
Kazakhstan journalist Makhambet Abzhan detained for alleged extortion
Stockholm, July 6, 2022 – Kazakhstan authorities should release journalist Makhambet Abzhan immediately, and ensure that members of the press are not prosecuted in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On the morning of Sunday, July 3, officers from the official Anticorruption Agency in the capital, Nur-Sultan, detained Abzhan, an…
Kazakh authorities detain 5 suspects in attack on journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov
New York, January 25, 2022 – Kazakh authorities should continue their investigation into the attempted murder of journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov and ensure that all those responsible are held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At about 11 p.m. on January 3, in the central city of Saryagash, an unidentified man tried to…
Kazakhstan authorities jail, question journalists in protest aftermath
Stockholm, January 20, 2022 – Authorities in Kazakhstan must stop jailing and summoning for questioning journalists who covered the recent nationwide protests, and allow the press to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since January 7, Kazakh authorities have sentenced at least three journalists to periods of detention ranging from 10 to…
‘Nothing like this ever happened here before’: Journalists describe covering mass protests in Kazakhstan
The nationwide antigovernment protests that erupted in early January 2022 in Kazakhstan – which left 225 dead, according to official figures – upended the country’s reputation as one of Eurasia’s most stable authoritarian regimes. They also posed an enormous challenge to Kazakh journalists. Journalists working to cover the unrest were detained by riot police and…
Journalists detained, news crew attacked, as Kazakhstan state of emergency continues
Stockholm, January 10, 2022 – Kazakh authorities should ensure the ability of the country’s media to work freely and release detained journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov. They should also fully investigate assaults on the country’s press, including an attack on a convoy that killed one Almaty TV employee and injured another and an arson attack on the…
Kazakhstan authorities block news sites, detain journalists during nationwide protests
Stockholm, January 6, 2022 – Kazakhstan authorities must allow journalists to report freely on ongoing protests in the country and ensure their safety from officials and protesters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since January 4, authorities in the Central Asian nation detained at least eight journalists reporting on mass protests in several cities…
Kazakh outlet HOLA News reports website blocks after Pandora Papers coverage
Stockholm, October 20, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today about apparent blocking of Kazakh independent news website HOLA News after reporting on the Pandora Papers offshore leaks. The website was widely inaccessible for 10 days after they published the coverage, and only became functional again after it was removed. A statement…
Kazakh newspaper Aq Zhayiq and editor Azamat Maitanov receive death threats
Stockholm, June 16, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should swiftly and thoroughly investigate all threats made to employees of the independent newspaper Aq Zhayiq and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Since the beginning of the year, unidentified individuals have sent dozens of death threats to Azamat Maitanov, the outlet’s editor-in-chief, and…
Kazakh journalist Aigul Utepova convicted of participating in banned political groups
Stockholm, April 29, 2021 – Kazakh authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Aigul Utepova and should allow her to report and comment on the news without restriction, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Today, the Saryarkinskiy District Court in the capital, Nur-Sultan, convicted Utepova of participating in two banned political groups, sentenced…