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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.

On 12 August, it became known that the investigative actions in the criminal case against journalist Azamat Omarov, author of the YouTube channel "Akhual Segodnya", had been completed.

Independent journalists in Kazakhstan are facing increasing pressure ahead of the 23 August elections to the Kurultai, the new unicameral parliament introduced under the constitution and approved in a referendum in March 2026.

“The growing number of professional restrictions is increasing self-censorship within the media community,” said Nazira Darimbet, President of the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz,” in an interview with Radio Azattyq.

Kazakhstan has seen widespread restrictions and reduced access to the Telegram messaging service. Users in different regions of the country, as well as several Kazakhstani media outlets, have reported problems uploading and sending media files.