Journalistic community worried about situation with freedom of speech in West Kazakhstan
14 december 2009
Chairman of Board of Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan Seyitkazy Matayev and President of International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil soz” Tamara Kaleyeva sent open letter, addressed to Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kayrat Mami.
Open Letter
Dear Kayrat Abdrazakovich!
We apply for you to pay your attention to situation in West Kazakhstan with keeping of constitutional principle of freedom of speech and creation.
In nowadays JSC “Tengizneftstroy” demands 70 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage from the newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov. The charges stemmed from“For coverage of the tender”, published on August 06, 2009. LLP “Tengizneftstroy” has begun project implementation before beginning of tender of state order, concerning gasification of Zhympity-Karatuba. LLP “Tengizneftstroy” provided technical equipment and tubes; built working zone on the place of future construction before tender conduction.
West Kazakhstan Department of Power Engineering and Municipal Economy has brought the same suit against newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and demanded 20 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage. Department of Internal Affairs of West Kazakhstan has brought a suit against newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and demanded 12 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage. They demanded to publish refutation of the article, published three years ago.
There was a next attempt of closure of popular, regional and independent edition “Uralskaya nedelya” and professional repression of principal journalist.
Writer Alpamys Bekturganov was convicted and sentenced to one year of imprisonment for public criticism of akim. It had happened in August 2009 in Uralsk. There was a suit of Regional Akim Baktykozha Izmukhambetov. It has been series of prosecutions of journalists on side of akims of different regions.
The practice of prosecution and imprisonment of people for public criticism of actions of state officials contravened to the right set in our Constitution for freedom of speech, ideas and convictions. People, who had public and administrative position, should use methods of polemic and public discussion under refutation of untruth information, but not prosecution in democratic state. There were grand sums of moral damage’ recoveries have been a tool of deterrent of publishers and journalists and neutralization of freedom of speech.
We sure, that research and principal estimation of Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan of situation with constitutional right implementation for freedom of speech in West Kazakhstan region will be real step for strengthening of democracy and legality in Kazakhstan.
Chairman of Board of Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan Seyitkazy Matayev.
President of International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil soz” Tamara Kaleyeva.
Open Letter
Dear Kayrat Abdrazakovich!
We apply for you to pay your attention to situation in West Kazakhstan with keeping of constitutional principle of freedom of speech and creation.
In nowadays JSC “Tengizneftstroy” demands 70 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage from the newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov. The charges stemmed from“For coverage of the tender”, published on August 06, 2009. LLP “Tengizneftstroy” has begun project implementation before beginning of tender of state order, concerning gasification of Zhympity-Karatuba. LLP “Tengizneftstroy” provided technical equipment and tubes; built working zone on the place of future construction before tender conduction.
West Kazakhstan Department of Power Engineering and Municipal Economy has brought the same suit against newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and demanded 20 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage. Department of Internal Affairs of West Kazakhstan has brought a suit against newspaper “Uralskaya nedelya” and journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and demanded 12 000 000 tenge as recovery of moral damage. They demanded to publish refutation of the article, published three years ago.
There was a next attempt of closure of popular, regional and independent edition “Uralskaya nedelya” and professional repression of principal journalist.
Writer Alpamys Bekturganov was convicted and sentenced to one year of imprisonment for public criticism of akim. It had happened in August 2009 in Uralsk. There was a suit of Regional Akim Baktykozha Izmukhambetov. It has been series of prosecutions of journalists on side of akims of different regions.
The practice of prosecution and imprisonment of people for public criticism of actions of state officials contravened to the right set in our Constitution for freedom of speech, ideas and convictions. People, who had public and administrative position, should use methods of polemic and public discussion under refutation of untruth information, but not prosecution in democratic state. There were grand sums of moral damage’ recoveries have been a tool of deterrent of publishers and journalists and neutralization of freedom of speech.
We sure, that research and principal estimation of Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan of situation with constitutional right implementation for freedom of speech in West Kazakhstan region will be real step for strengthening of democracy and legality in Kazakhstan.
Chairman of Board of Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan Seyitkazy Matayev.
President of International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil soz” Tamara Kaleyeva.
