Международный фонд защиты свободы слова
The International Foundation for Freedom of Speech Protection
News
On 12 September, the Total.kz website became inaccessible to users of several Kazakhstan-based internet service providers. This happened shortly after the editorial team refused a request from a representative of a government body to temporarily hide an article about the Almaty SuperSki project.
On 8 September, a court in Turkestan sentenced activist and representative of the S-INFORM newspaper Kural Seitkhanuly Ismanov to three years in prison. Journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov reported the verdict.
In Taraz, journalist Aizhan Auelbekova has been summoned to the police for an administrative offence report to be drawn up under Article 456-2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan — for disseminating false information and unlawful content.
The Almaty City Court will hear appeals in the criminal case against journalist Alexandra Alyokhova (Sentsova) on 15 September. The hearing is scheduled for 11:30 and will be held behind closed doors.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Kazakhstan’s Kurultai to scrap new rules restricting journalists’ movement inside the parliament building and limiting their ability to question members of parliament directly.
The Kurultai has changed the rules governing journalists’ work: reporters are now expected to ask members of parliament questions only in the press centre, effectively eliminating the customary practice of speaking with them in the corridors.
