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Trial in Kazakh city Zhanaozen is legal

Kazakhstan Materials 5 April 2012 12:33 (UTC +04:00)
The trial in the Kazakh city of Zhanaozen is being held in accordance with the law, lawyer, Professor Zinaida Fedotova said.
Trial in Kazakh city Zhanaozen is legal

Kazakhstan, Astana, April 5 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /

The trial in the Kazakh city of Zhanaozen is being held in accordance with the law, lawyer, Professor Zinaida Fedotova said.

"At present, the media reported there is a ban on using audio and video during the trial," she said at a press-conference in Astana today. "Journalists think that it is a violation of the law, but as a lawyer I think that we receive the necessary information about the trial every day." She added that lawyers are closely observing the trial.

"If anyone failed to obtain information in the first instance, the bloggers would not be able to share their impressions on social network and blogs during the process," she said. "We see that every day and news agencies disseminate information about the trial."

Moreover, journalists are present at the trial with their notebooks and disseminate information for the entire country. The judge may prohibit audio and video using in accordance with the law.

"We are studying foreign practices," she said. "There are strict standards for trials in many world countries. The fact, that we get information from bloggers or news agencies, testifies that there is no problem getting information from the courtroom," Fedotov said.

The second point is the attempts to politicise the Aktau Court by criticising the judicial process.

"But life goes on, and the Aktau people do their business," she said. "It would be wrong to urge the mayor to offer another building for the trial, For example, by using the Palace of Pupils or Drama Theatre, it would not be very wise to suspend livelihood of ordinary people living in this city."

The third point is the lack of simultaneous translation from Kazakh into Russian which is now being actively written by some media outlets. Fedotova said that there is no violation of the law.

"Kazakh is the official language," she said. "The editorial offices willing to get accurate information from the court must have journalists who know Kazakh and Russian. It should also be taken into account that the court is held in the Mangistau region where the majority of the population speaks Kazakh.

"Moreover, participants of the process have agreed to hold a lawsuit in the Kazakh language. The opportunities of translation are ensured for participants, but the legislation does not envisage translation opportunities for journalists, especially foreign ones as they know that by coming to another country, they must themselves find the opportunities for translation, or know local language."

Mass riots hit the Kazakh oil city of Zhanaozen in Mangystau region on Dec.16. According to the Kazakh General Attorney Office, 14 people were killed as a result and over 80 injured by fire. Buildings and cars were burned and the property of individuals and institutions destroyed.

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