Subject: [CivilSoc] Statement Against Press Attacks in Kazakhstan
From: Center for Civil Society International (ccsi@u.washington.edu)
Date: Tue May 16 2000 - 21:05:58 EDT
The following joint statement issued in early April in Almaty, comes
from the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights, headed by
Evgeny Zhovtis. CivilSoc subscribers who wish to receive the regular
e-bulletin issued by the KIBHR should send an e-mail requesting this
to: marat@omaz.almaty.kz
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Joint Statement of the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human
Rights and Rule of Law, Association of Independent Electronic Mass
Media of Central Asia, and Freedom of Expression Foundation "Adil
Soz"
For a number of years, our organizations have made statements on
freedom of expression, press and media in Kazakhstan, expressing our
deep concern about the developments affecting these fundamental human
rights and freedoms in the Republic. We told of the negative
developments of persecution of TV and radio companies, press and
journalists, for expressing their opinion and spreading information
that authorities consider "harmful" for the society. We highlighted
concrete facts, and gave the names of publications and journalists
pressured by officials and state agencies.
We protested against conduct, procedures and results of tenders on TV
and radio frequencies in 1996-1998, when the vast majority of
independent TV and radio companies that tried to provide the
objective coverage of social and economic situation in the country
lost their frequencies and disappeared. We indicated the
inadmissibility of economic and political pressure applied to
independent media, we called on authorities to observe freedom of
expression, to protect the constitutional right of citizens to
receive and spread information.
It is obvious, nevertheless, that democratic rights and freedoms,
including freedom of expression, the right to receive and disseminate
information and rights of journalists, are increasingly threatened.
1999 and the beginning of 2000 witnessed even greater pressure on the
independent press. Among those persecuted were such newspapers as XXI
century, Dat, SolDat, Nachnem s ponedelnika (Let's begin from
Monday), Diapazon (based in Aktobe), Edil Zhaiyk (based in Uralsk),
NBC-press (based in Ust-Kamenogorsk), and so on.
Finally on March 31, managers of the TV "Channel 31" sacked the
well-known TV journalist and anchorwoman, editor-in-chief of the news
program "Informbureau," Tatiana Deltsova.
It's no secret that for a long time all of the TV and radio companies
as well as press publications of Kazakhstan operate on the basis of
severe self-censorship, accompanied by informal instructions of top
governmental officials responsible for "ideology" and "propaganda"
and who define what Kazakh society needs and what it does not need to
know. Almost every head of TV or radio company, of a newspaper or
magazine, is aware of this practice of "telephone call."
This is why Kazakh information space lacks the objective news
programs, political discussions and "live broadcasts." "Channel 31's"
Informbureau was one of the few if not the only objective news
program and a big part of the credit for that should be given to
Tatiana Deltsova.
There is no official reason given for sacking the journalist.
Nevertheless, with high degree of certainty we assume that sacking of
the journalist came in connection with the recent piece aired on 30th
of March in the evening news bloc of "Channel 31". This reportage
told of three opposition leaders.
On the previous night in order to prevent leaders of the opposition
Republican Peoples Party (RNPK) Amirzhan Kosanov and Nurbulat Masanov
from going to the mass meeting the doors of their apartments were
concreted. They were to attend the first sanctioned mass meeting of
RNPK scheduled for the 30-th of March. Obscenities and insulting
phrases were written on the walls of their apartment houses and of
the opposition movement "Orleu" leader Seidahmaet Kuttykadam's.
Telephone wires of all three of them were cut.
Considering that opposition leaders rarely appear in privately owned
mass media, let alone the state electronic media, this piece of news
was bound to cause negative reaction of the authorities. Judging
from the fact that "Channel 31" night news bloc was not aired at its
usual midnight time the reaction of authorities was prompt.
All of this gives an idea of the atmosphere that surrounds
Kazakhstan's mass media; it demonstrates how dependent they are on
authorities and what methods authorities employ in order to prevent
the spread of "unfavorable information".
Tatiana Deltsova was sacked the next day after the infamous news bloc
was aired. It is yet one more proof of the negative developments in
the sphere of state control over the spread of information.
It is obvious that, being pressured by high-level officials, managers
of the TV company had to sack Tatiana Deltsova. This demonstrates
that independent TV companies are helpless in the face of the dictate
and arbitrariness of authorities. Tatiana Deltsova's case could be
viewed as a warning to all of the TV journalists that try to provide
information different from the official version, a warning that
expressing the alternative opinion could result in them losing their
job.
This is why we call on all of the international and local public
organizations, unions of journalists and individuals to voice their
concern about freedom of expression in Kazakhstan, to speak out in
order protect independent mass media and journalists, as this is the
only way to ensure that we will receive objective and full
information on the processes and developments in our country.
Signed,
Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Director of the Kazakhstan International Bureau on
Human Rights and Rule of Law
Rozlana Taukina, President of the Association of the Independent
Electronic Mass Media
Tamara Kaleeva, President of the Freedom of Expression
Foundation, Adil Soz
April 4, 2000, Almaty
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