Aida Balayeva. Photo: kursiv.kz
Media outlets in Kazakhstan must understand that the Ministry of Culture and Information can defend their rights only as long as they do not violate the law. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva in a post on Facebook (a social network banned in Russia and owned by Meta, which is designated as extremist in Russia). She was commenting on the criminal cases opened against the leadership of KazTAG and Orda.kz.
According to Balayeva, when relations between parties move into the legal realm, government intervention may be interpreted as pressure on the court. She stressed that the Ministry insists that any administrative or criminal cases involving journalists be handled as transparently and objectively as possible.
“Ensuring freedom of speech in our country is extremely important to us, and all media actors and information distributors must operate within the legal framework,” the minister said.
News of the investigation targeting ORDA.kz editor-in-chief Gulnara Bazhkenova emerged in early December. She is accused of “repeated and deliberate dissemination of knowingly false information.” A court has placed her under two months of house arrest.
In recent days it also became known that a criminal case has been opened against Kazakh Telegraph Agency (KazTAG) CEO Aset Mataev and editor-in-chief Amir Kassenov. They were designated as suspects following a complaint by Freedom Finance. The case concerns the agency’s publications alleging fraudulent schemes involving the company’s leadership.
KazTAG maintains that the case was initiated “with the aim of intimidation.” According to the newsroom, the investigation may involve individuals from the presidential administration and representatives of the so-called “old Kazakhstan.”
