News

On August 23, voters will head to the polls to elect a unicameral parliament established under the new constitution adopted in a March referendum. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said the constitution allows for a fundamental transformation of the Central Asian country, while critics argue that it represents an attempt to expand Tokayev’s powers.

This Sunday, 23 August 2026, elections to the Kurultai will be held. We remind journalists of the rules they should follow while covering the vote to avoid violating the law.

Today, Almaty’s Bostandyk District Court No. 2 handed down its verdict against former Orda.kz head Gulnar Bazhkenova. She was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, with the sentence deferred for two years, and was also banned from working in her profession for five years.

The Facebook account of Gulmira Birzhanova, Head of the Media Qoldau service at the Legal Media Center Public Foundation, has been blocked.

The International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” has commented on the official position of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information regarding the mass blocking of accounts belonging to independent media outlets and journalists.

The editorial team of the independent Kazakhstani media project Elmedia has issued an official statement regarding the continued blocking of the personal Facebook account of the outlet’s founder and editor-in-chief, Gulzhan Yergaliyeva.