Free access high security entity
On July 14, the crew of the Shymkent television channel TVK was not allowed to enter the city centre for stray animal sanctuary and elimination. The time-worn excuse was: “The chiefs are not here, we are no-one important, we cannot decide". It took great efforts for the girl that lost her dog to assign herself to inspect the cages where animals were held, but journalists with thier video cameras and smartphones failed to "get through" the guards. City people can only guess what is happening behind the fence of the city centre for stray dogs and cats sanctuary and elimination.
Commentary on Adil Soz:
The legislation of our country stipulates that only homes are inviolable (Article 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The Law "On State Secrets" stipulates that access to high security facilities and sensitive sites may be restricted in whole or in part. Such facilities include, for example, military units, prisons, etc. Only state bodies can assign the status of a high security facility and sensitive site a facility. Put simply, if a state body did not assign such status to an entity, for example, to the centre for stray dogs and cats sanctuary and elimination, the access to it is not subject to any restriction.
Preventing journalists and citizens from visiting that center is a violation of the law "On access to information", in particular paragraph 10 of Art. 6, which stipulates that access to information on the expenditure of funds from the republican and local budgets is not subject to restriction.
The center is financed from the budget funds received by its owners as tenders award. No matter whether the center is a private or state organization, access to it can not be restricted.
Shelter is obliged to return the pet to the owner upon presenting the owner’s identity card, the veterinary passport for the animal and a statement for repayment of expenses for the pet husbandry (paragraph 24 of the Rules for trapping and eliminating stray dogs and cats in cities and other settlements of the South Kazakhstan region approved by the decision of the South Kazakhstan oblast Maslikhat (local governing body) of June 29, 2016 No. 3/32-Y1).
By the way, for violation of the rules for trapping and eliminating stray animals is subject to , administrative punishment – from warning to 20 (MCI) Monthly Calculation Index
(Article 408 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
