Kazakhstan, Astana, August 20 / Trend K. Konyrova /
Kazakh journalists have made an official statement in which they expressed anxiety concerning a toughening of court practices against journalists and citizens who practice their constitutional rights for freedom of speech and the receiving and spreading of information.
"In the last few year court cases for the protection of the honor, dignity and business reputation have often been turned into means for revenge against independent journalists and for the liquidation of disagreeable publications.
The exaction of millions and even billions of tenge in moral injury compensation is unacceptable in a society which respects the right to freedom of opinion and belief," the issued statement said.
The document says that "people involved in public administrative positions must use methods of debate and public discussion, rather than prosecution, when refuting information".
Journalists in Kazakhstan are suggesting that Parliament decriminalize slander and insult, regulate the level of penalty for moral injury and limit court suspension and closure of media outlets only in exceptional cases outlined in the Constitution.
It suggests the Supreme Court generalize the practice of court sentencing in the protection of personal non-property rights, once it has aligned the practice with the constitutional rights to freedom of opinions and belief, freedom of expression and creativity.
It also suggests that the Attorney General's Office initiates a review of the trials of journalists sentenced to prison terms for performing their professional duties, and citizens punished for the public expression of their opinions and beliefs."
Journalists reminded readers that the author of 'The Age' newspaper, Vadim Kuramshin, has been serving an unprecedented punishment for slander - 3 years and10 months in prison since 2006. He is accused of using the word 'fraud' in a publication which protects the interests of ordinary workers.
In 2008, having been offered provocative proposal to buy information important for the public, the Editor-in-Chief of the 'Law and Justice' publication, Tokbergen Abiyev, was imprisoned for bribery.
In 2009, on the eve of the OSCE Chairmanship, two other freedom of speech prisoners were sentenced in Kazakhstan.
.
In August, Editor-in-Chief of the 'Alma-Ata Info' newspaper, Ramazan Yesergepov, was sentenced to 3 years for illegally gaining knowledge of and disclosing a state secret. His actual guilt was in the publication of a document on how the national security committee was trying to prevent an entrepreneur meeting with the President.
On August 13 the ex-advisor on the West-Kazakh region, Alpamys Bekturganov, was sentenced to 1 year for slander. He is called a criminal because at a press-conference he expressed his concern about acute problems in the region.
The court has stopped unprecedented pressure on the entire press in Western Kazakhstan.
Journalist Lukpan Ahmedyarov, who was involved in the trial as a witness, was convicted to 5 days of administrative arrest for disrespect to the court.
The judge deemed the word "farce" disrespectful. The journalist had been provoked by offensive remarks from Akim's attorney.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at: [email protected]