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The International\r\nFoundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech \"Adil Soz\"\r\nconducted a study of the situation with the right to freedom of expression,\r\nreceipt and dissemination of information in Kazakhstan in July 2020.
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Itreports:
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- The journalists organized a\r\nsign-in an appeal to the President of the country Kassym-Jomart Tokayev\r\n\"because of the catastrophic situation that occurred in the country in\r\nmid-March 2020 and still continues.\" The authors of the appeal believe\r\nthat the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of\r\nKazakhstan practices censorship, asking only “convenient” questions for\r\nspeakers at press-briefings.
\r\n\"... The only\r\nthing that demonstrates the existing communication system is our state has serious ear problems,\"\r\nthe appeal says.
\r\nThe journalists\'\r\nappeal was forwarded to the Ministry of Information and Social Development and\r\non July 30 the ministry provided the\r\nanswer signed by Minister A. Balayeva.
\r\n“It is a common\r\nreply with no real answer\', telling about the \r\ngreat success in the information field. And sure there is not a single\r\nword about the problems that we pointed out, \"says journalist Irina\r\nSevostyanova.
\r\nYou can read the\r\nanswer of the Minister of Information and Social Development here https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3195146640532803&id=100001124948803.
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- \"Nash Kostanay\" reduces\r\nfrequency of publication due COVID-19
\r\nThis was announced on July 13 by Askar\r\nZhabayev, director of “Nash Kostanay Gazeta” LLP.
\r\nDespite\r\nall the difficulties, the newspaper \"Nash Kostanay\" has been\r\npublished twice a week. Journalists havve been writing articles, provided\r\ninformation our readers.
\r\nNow\r\n“Nash Kostanay ”will be published once a week - on Thursday. Earlier it has\r\nbeen published on Tuesdays as well. The reason is that journalists, like\r\ndoctors, are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, ”Askar Zhabaev,\r\ndirector of the“ Nash Kostanay newspaper ”LLP, told the readers. “However, the\r\nvirus has also affected the journalists of our newspaper, and let the God save\r\nus from losing our colleagues forever. Although the 50-years old mother of one\r\nof our employees suddenly died of bilateral pneumonia this week. The\r\njournalists of \"Nash Kostanay \" has been transferred to distance\r\nwork, but each of them writes articles, talks to experts, phone \r\ntheir speakers.
\r\nAccording\r\nto Zhabayev, the website https://top-news.kz/ and the newspaper accounts in\r\nsocial networks will work as usual.
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- Tamasha TV has\r\nstopped broadcasting due to a sharp decline in advertising revenues during the\r\npandemic of COVID-19.
\r\n-\r\n\"Zhilstroysberbank\" accuses civic activists Danya Kalieva and Marat\r\nTurymbetov of disseminating deliberately false information.
\r\n\"Zhilstroysberbank\r\ntake umbrage and considered that our analytical social networks posts about the\r\nhuge expenses of the bank and their usefulness, and huge salaries and bonuses\r\nof the bank management (taken from open\r\nsources) is disseminating deliberately false information at the time of the\r\nstate emergency!\" yvision.kz quoted \r\nTurymbetov .
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- Kazakh singer Talgat Kenzhebulatov\r\n(stage name Kental) was prosecuted for a comic video filmed and posted on\r\nYouTube back in 2016. The police considered the joke inappropriate at the time\r\nof COVID-19 epidemic in the country.
\r\n-\r\nThis refers to a short video filmed in\r\nJune 2016. In his video joke, Kental is\r\nwearing a police uniform, says: “I appeal to everyone who has stress, who has a\r\nhard time, who has emotional pain. Some people have problems at work, some have\r\nproblems in the family, some have problems with \r\ncredits. Don\'t worry, anyway we will all die\".
\r\n\"Such\r\nstatements, even made for a joke, especially with the use of a police uniform,\r\nare inappropriate and unacceptable on the background of the current COVID-19\r\nsituation in Kazakhstan and tragic deaths,” the Police Department said.
\r\nThe\r\nAlmaty Administrative Court imposed a fine on the singer for illegally wearing\r\na police uniform.
\r\n5 \r\njudicial acts were issued against media and citizens in connection with\r\nthe exercise of the right to freedom of expression , the receipt and\r\ndissemination of information on cases of protection of honor, dignity and\r\nbusiness reputation in July 2020. Two of them were in favor of the media, journalists and\r\ncitizens.
\r\nThe following charges were filed in connection with the exercise of the right\r\nto freedom of expression:
\r\n- 4 criminal charges, including 1 in court.
\r\n- 5 claims and suits in civil procedure. All of them were claims for protection of honor,\r\ndignity and business reputation.
\r\nThe following charges were filed since the\r\nbeginning of the year:
\r\n- 41 criminal charges (including\r\n12 in court).
\r\n- 20 administrative charges
\r\n- 49 claims and suits in civil\r\nprocedure.
\r\nAmong them, 42 claims and\r\nlawsuits for protection of honor, dignity and business reputation.
\r\n- Claims for compensation for non-pecuniary damage amounted to 77\r\nmillion 100 thousand tenge. The courts collected\r\n925 thousand 993 tenge.
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The monitoring was done according\r\nto reports of the Adil Soz Foundation\'s correspondents and information\r\nfrom open sources.
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Head of monitoring service of Adil\r\nSoz Foundation Elena Tsoi
\r\ne-mail: lena@adilsoz.kz
