"Kokshetau Asia" online news became unavailable in Kazakhstan

Since 7 PM January 27 the official website of the Kokshetau Asia news agency became unavailable. The website administrators contacted the Russian hosting company that provides services to the online news outlet. The Russians reported that there was a problem with the gateway on the virtual border between Kazakhstan and Russia. For some reason, the connection is interrupted here.

Currently, the news agency's website can be access via VPN or via Beeline mobile Internet. The editors sent a letter to Kazakhtelecom JSC. The technical service of the monopolist said that it is taking efforts to define the reason for the unavailability of the website, that is, in fact, blocking the online news outlet.

Strange as it may be, the problems with the news agency's website coincided with the attempts of Nurzhan Baimuldin, the editor-in-chief of the Russian service "Kokshetau-Asia",  to appeal against his arrest.As it was reported, on January 12, Nurzhan Baimuldin, the editor-in-chief of the Russian news service "Kokshetau-Asia",  was detained. On the same day he was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. The court considered the questions that he asked the President of the country through his post on the social network to be actions provoking a violation of law and order in a state of emergency.

On January 17, the appellate board of the Kokshetau city court, reduced Baimuldin's arrest to 5 days upon the motion of the prosecutor. That is  it  limited his stay in the pre-trial detention center to the actually served time. The court of appeal dismissed reclaiming petition of lawyer Aigul Kalkamanova, who demanded full acquittal of the journalist.

Nurzhan Baimгldin believes that he did not violate the law, and intends to go through the entire Kazakh judicial authorities, and then apply to the UN Human Rights Committee. His lawyer is now preparing documents for  cassation.