Daily singled out in new attack on independent press
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 18 September 2009 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Daily singled out in new attack on independent press, 18 September 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4ab892991e.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The entire print run of Kazakhstan's leading opposition daily, Respublika, was seized today in Almaty while a court froze the bank accounts of its owner and editor in execution of a 9 September court ruling ordering the newspaper to pay 60 million tenge (275,500 euros) in libel damages to the state-controlled bank BTA.
"We are deeply shocked by this new attack on the Kazakh press and we join the staff of Respublika and local NGOs in condemning this political decision," Reporters Without Borders said.
"This is an attempt to bring one of the country's leading independent newspapers to its knees, one that did not hold back from criticising the government," the press freedom organisation added. "That is all the more obvious as the court ruling had not yet taken effect. The newspaper has until 24 September to appeal."
The libel suit was prompted by a 6 March article about the financial difficulties of BTA, in which the government had acquired a 75 per cent stake the previous month. The suit named the newspaper, its editor and the head of its editorial board and claimed that the article had damaged its "professional reputation" and caused material losses. Respublika has been forced to close several times in the past and each time it has reappeared under a new name. Shortly after today's issue was confiscated at the printers in the early hours of the morning, it was reprinted under a new name: Moya Respublika - fakty, sobytia, lyudi.
Reporters Without Borders added: "In times of financial crisis, the unrestricted publication of economic information is more important than ever. Kazakhstan has sent its partners a very bad signal just three and a half months before its takes over at the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe."
