Nazarbayev’s long rule leaves toxic legacy for Kazakhstan’s media
In 2011, I observed an astonishing spectacle in the Respublika newspaper offices in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s financial capital. Journalists were putting a modern-day twist on samizdat, a practice in the Soviet Union whereby dissidents laboriously copied illicit material to circumvent censorship.
Embattled Kazakh editor detained following police raids
New York, December 24, 2015–Kazakh authorities should immediately release Guzyal Baydalinova, editor of the independent news website Nakanune, and return all reporting equipment seized in police raids, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
CPJ condemns eradication of Kazakh independent media
New York, April 21, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the shutting down of Assandi-Times, the last remaining independent newspaper in Kazakhstan. A court in Almaty today declared the weekly a structural part of banned newspaper Respublika, three weeks after court marshals raided Assandi-Times’ offices, ordered the journalists to stop working, tried to force the…
Kazakh authorities shut down another newspaper
New York, April 3, 2014–An independent paper, the Assandi Times, was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns recent measures taken by Kazakh authorities to shut down independent news outlets in the country.
Journalist flees Kazakhstan after court orders her arrest
New York, March 28, 2014–Authorities should drop all charges against a Kazakh journalist who has been accused of libel in connection with a story she has denied writing, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. If convicted, Natalya Sadykova faces up to three years in jail under Kazakhstan’s criminal libel law.
Kazakh court shuts down another critical newspaper
New York, February 25, 2014–The shutdown order issued by a district court in Almaty against the independent weekly newspaper Pravdivaya Gazeta is yet another example of Kazakhstan’s determination to gag independent voices in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today, adding that the verdict should be overturned on appeal.
Kazakh court bans broadcaster, suspends news website
New York, December 6, 2012–A court in Kazakhstan has banned an independent news outlet on charges of extremism, a ruling that comes within weeks of the country’s election to the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to news reports. Dozens of other independent and opposition news outlets face similar charges that could result in their being…
In Kazakhstan, news outlets face charges of extremism
New York, November 28, 2012–The politicized prosecution of dozens of independent news outlets in Kazakhstan is at odds with the country’s commitment to press freedom and deeply stains its recent election to the U.N. Human Rights Council, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ calls on Kazakh authorities to dismiss the case and allow…