Kazakh Journalists Face Criminal Cases, Travel Bans Before Kurultai Vote
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Independent journalists and government critics in Kazakhstan face criminal investigations, travel bans, and court-ordered journalism bans ahead of the August 23 Kurultai election. Rights groups say the pressure reflects a broader pattern of politically motivated charges and online restrictions. The vote will elect the first members of the new unicameral parliament that replaced the two-chamber legislature under constitutional changes approved in a March referendum.
Key Facts
- Journalist Dinara Yegubaeva faces a criminal investigation following a July 31 traffic accident and has been barred from leaving Kazakhstan.
- Journalist and editor Lukpan Akhmedyarov is under investigation for sharing a Ukrainian government list of Kazakh citizens alleged to be fighting for Russia and was barred from leaving Kazakhstan on August 3.
- Journalist Aleksandra Alyokhova received a three-year suspended prison sentence on August 3 and was barred from practicing journalism for three years.
- The Adilet party, led by Toqaev's former presidential administration chief, is favored to win the August 23 election with 70.2 percent support in the latest national poll.
- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights reported concerns about a 'growing intolerance of criticism by the authorities' contributing to self-censorship.
Pressure on Journalists
On August 14, Civil Rights Defenders and eight other human rights and press freedom organizations warned of a 'broader, longer-term pattern' of politically motivated charges, online restrictions, and harassment against government critics. The organizations highlighted four recent cases, including criminal investigations against Dinara Yegubaeva and Lukpan Akhmedyarov. Yegubaeva faces a criminal investigation following a July 31 traffic accident involving her car and a cyclist, which rights groups say was initially treated as an administrative matter. Akhmedyarov is under investigation for sharing a Ukrainian government list of Kazakh citizens alleged to be fighting for Russia in Ukraine, with authorities accusing him of knowingly spreading false information. Aleksandra Alyokhova was convicted on August 3 of publishing private information about a person involved in a dispute at an Almaty bazaar and received a three-year suspended sentence plus a three-year journalism ban.
Election Context
The August 23 vote will elect the first members of the Kurultai, a new unicameral parliament that replaces Kazakhstan's two-chamber legislature under constitutional changes approved in a March referendum. President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev has portrayed the changes as political modernization, while critics say they have further concentrated power in the presidency. The Adilet party, founded in May and led by Toqaev's former presidential administration chief, is heavily favored to win, with the latest national poll putting its support at 70.2 percent. The party absorbed the former ruling Amanat party and inherited its nationwide political network, leading critics to portray it as a rebranding of the pro-Toqaev political establishment. In an assessment last month, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said people interviewed by its mission had raised concerns about a 'growing intolerance of criticism by the authorities, resulting in increasing pressure and sanctions.'
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Kazakh Journalists Face Criminal Cases, Travel Bans Before Kurultai Vote
