Kazakh journalists covering Sufi trial briefly detained
Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
Publication Date | 26 August 2010 |
Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh journalists covering Sufi trial briefly detained, 26 August 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4cb83e6223.html [accessed 19 May 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. |
August 26, 2010
Detained journalists leave the Almaly district police station.
On August 26, police in Almaty detained a group of journalists and kept them at a police station for three hours without any explanation, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
The correspondents from RFE/RL and the local newspapers "Alash ainasy," "Ush qiyan," "Dorozhny patrul," and "Orda KZ" were detained as they attempted to attend the trial of an alleged leader of a religious group that has been branded extremist.
The Almaly district court in Almaty is trying a leader of the NGO Senim-Bilim-Omir (Trust-Knowledge-Life), a Sufi group. No details of the case have been made public.
RFE/RL correspondent Kuanyshbek Kari says the police demanded written explanations for why the journalists wanted to attend the trial, searched their professional equipment and personal belongings, and took their pictures and fingerprints.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website