Access to information: just for friends?

 On June 15 a conflict occurred in the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law just when a press conference was about to start. The theme of the press-conference was  the court's decision on the suit of the ex-akim of Almaty Bauyrzhan Baybek against the politician Zhanbolat Mamay.

A few hours before the event, it turned out to be that due to quarantine restrictions, it could only be held online. Nevertheless, several journalists arrived at the press room and began to ask their questions to the politician. Zhanbolat Mamay refused to answer the questions of Azattyk Rukhy reporter  Amirbolat Kusainov "You are fake journalists from fake media" he said and demanded that the journalist leave the press room.

Amirbolat, in his turn,  retorted: "You answered all the questions of reporters, you could have done that, without humiliating anyone and not dividing journalists into pleasing to you and unwanted ones".

One of the men in the press room, grabbed the journalist by the collar and tried to push him out.

Amirbolat is sincerely surprised by the behavior of the leader of the unregistered Democratic Party, who has repeatedly announced his principles that include equal rights for all, pluralism  and equal access to information for all media outlets. Nevertheless, the journalist said that he was not going to write any complaints or statements about the incident.