Criminal case was opened against journalist of website www.guljan.org Valeriy Surganov He was charged with libel

August 02, 2011

The criminal case was opened against a journalist of the website www.guljan.org Valeriy Surganov under article 129 part 3 (“Slander combined with an accusation of a person in the commission of a grave or an especially grave corruption crime”) of Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on July 20, 2011. The Chairman of the Department of Struggle for Economic and Corruption Crimes (Financial Police) of Pavlodar Oblast Sandzhar Aliev has made a criminal claim. The charges originated from the articles “Kings of Financial Police Part Second” and “Murder of Kazakhstan's student Ernar Aliev in Moscow”, written by Surganov. The first article was placed on the website www.guljan.org on July 12, 2011 and the second one was published in the newspaper Kazakhstan on July 14, 2011.

Sandzhar Aliev has thought that journalist in his articles gave deliberately false evidence about him. Aliev was charged with commission of a grave crime such as, kidnapping, beating and rape. Valeriy Surganov has said that he received a information from charts, blogs and open forums and stated it as a case and supposition.

Saryarka District Court № 2 of Astana shall consider this case. Valeriy Surganov has sent a letter to court. He asked to remove the consideration of a case to Karaganda, according to registration place. Surganov has noted that there was a pressure upon him in Astana. He has been prosecuted and shadowed. Surganov is afraid for provocations.