Elmedia editorial team reports that Gulzhan Yergaliyeva’s Facebook account remains blocked

The editorial team of the independent Kazakhstani media project Elmedia has issued an official statement regarding the continued blocking of the personal Facebook account of the outlet’s founder and editor-in-chief, Gulzhan Yergaliyeva.

According to the original source, the journalist’s personal profile has remained inaccessible for a month and a half, since 2 July 2026. The page was hidden following an unusually large wave of mass complaints targeting its content, which triggered Meta’s automated restriction mechanisms. At the same time, six posts were removed from the account of Elmedia staff member Ayan Sharipbayev. Elmedia’s official page was restored earlier, while the outlet’s Telegram, YouTube and Instagram channels are currently operating normally.

The editorial team emphasises that Yergaliyeva’s case stands out from the broader wave of recent cyberattacks against independent Kazakhstani media, during which restrictions were imposed on the accounts of several outlets and journalists. After appeals were reviewed, Meta lifted restrictions on most official pages, but the personal account of Elmedia’s head remains blocked.

Below is the full statement issued by Elmedia:

“Who ordered the digital isolation of Gulzhan Yergaliyeva?

The large-scale cyberattack on independent Kazakhstani media that took place several weeks ago has now reached what appears to be its logical, yet deeply cynical, continuation.

Following a series of hacks and mass complaints, the algorithms of the global Meta platform eventually addressed the situation and lifted restrictions from most of the affected accounts. Elmedia’s page has been restored and is functioning. Our colleagues’ accounts have also been reinstated, including that of Ulysmedia editor-in-chief Samal Ibrayeva. Yet amid this broader wave of reinstatements, the personal profile of Elmedia founder and head Gulzhan Yergaliyeva remains completely blocked.

Every conceivable appeal was submitted long ago, and the review deadlines have passed, yet the account remains paralysed. This raises an obvious question: why does a corporation that has effectively acknowledged the absurdity of the recent attack on Kazakhstani journalists continue to keep one particular head of an independent media outlet digitally isolated? Because the source of this problem lies entirely within Kazakhstan.

It is clear that the global moderation system operates according to predetermined algorithms, and under ordinary circumstances the account would have been restored along with the others. The continuing block indicates targeted, hands-on activity by local actors. Bot farms continue to operate uninterrupted within the country, generating a daily stream of artificial complaints against one specific account in order to prevent the social network’s algorithms from lifting the restrictions.

There is also a high probability of interference by local contractors with access to regional content moderation. Such targeted digital suppression fits squarely within the current campaign to restrict Kazakhstan’s independent information space. Pressure on freedom of expression is now being applied on multiple fronts. Convictions are being handed down with explicit bans on journalists continuing to work in their profession.

Criminal cases are being brought against journalists, some are placed on international wanted lists, restricting their freedom of movement, while reporters are subjected to provocations in public spaces. The blocking of Gulzhan Yergaliyeva’s Facebook account is another element of this systemic pressure. Those behind the attack are exploiting vulnerabilities in the algorithms of foreign social media platforms to selectively neutralise a prominent media outlet and its founder.

We demand an end to the use of coordinated cyber-raids as a tool of political censorship. Those carrying out and commissioning this digital isolation are based in Kazakhstan, and their methods are entirely transparent. We call on international human rights organisations and press freedom bodies to document the use of vulnerabilities in Meta’s algorithms to suppress the voice of independent journalism.”

The International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” considers the blocking of Gulzhan Yergaliyeva’s account to be part of a broader campaign to restrict Kazakhstan’s information space and a form of pressure on independent journalists and media outlets.