From prosecutions to bans and spurious copyright claims: how Kazakhstan’s journalists are being silenced
Ahead of this month’s parliamentary election, independent journalists in Kazakhstan have faced “unprecedented” pressure, ranging from criminal prosecutions to professional bans, and this crackdown warrants heightened international scrutiny to ensure the country upholds its obligations on media freedom. Voters go to the polls on August 23 to elect a unicameral parliament established under a new…
Kazakhstan sentences journalist Gulnara Bazhkenova to eight years in prison as pre-election press crackdown intensifies
New York, August 19, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is shocked by the eight-year prison sentence handed down to Gulnara Bazhkenova, former editor-in-chief of independent outlet Orda, in Kazakhstan on August 18, and warns that this latest prosecution appears to be part of an escalating crackdown on the media ahead of elections this month. An Almaty…
CPJ, partners sound alarm over pre-election media crackdown in Kazakhstan
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined eight local and international press freedom and human rights groups on Friday in expressing deep concern over escalating pressure on independent journalists in Kazakhstan ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for August 23. The groups’ joint statement details how, in the weeks leading up to the vote – the first…
CPJ calls on Kazakhstan to overturn travel ban, end harassment of journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov
New York, August 5, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kazakhstan to stop harassing prominent journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov after he was barred from leaving the country for a holiday on August 3. “Amid a worrying surge in criminal prosecutions of leading independent journalists in Kazakhstan, the unexplained travel ban on Lukpan Akhmedyarov is deeply concerning,”…
CPJ, partners urge Kazakhstan’s president to act over wave of journalist arrests
In a joint letter led by the Committee to Protect Journalists, six international press freedom and human rights organizations have written to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressing concern over a series of journalist detentions and growing pressure on the media. Since December, four prominent journalists have been placed under house arrest pending trial on criminal…
CPJ, partners call on Kyrgyzstan to free journalist Tajibek kyzy
Ahead of a February 2 decision by Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court, the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven other human rights groups called on Kyrgyzstan authorities to comply with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s opinion and release journalist Tajibek kyzy without delay. Director of anti-corruption investigative outlets Temirov Live and Ait Ait Dese,…
Kazakhstan police raid Orda, charge top editor over ‘false information’
New York, December 2, 2025—Kazakh authorities should drop criminal “false information” charges against Gulnara Bazhkenova, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Orda, and allow the outlet and its staff to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On December 1, armed police raided Orda’s editorial offices in the capital, Astana, and in the southern city of…
CPJ calls on Kazakhstan to accredit, end ban on 16 RFE/RL journalists
Editor’s note: In a deferred hearing on August 20, the court upheld Kazakh authorities’ accreditation denial and ban against seven RFE/RL journalists; the appeal of a further nine journalists remains under consideration. RFE/RL said it would appeal the verdict. New York, August 18, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Kazakh authorities to reinstate accreditation for 16 journalists with U.S. government-funded…
‘It has become extremely difficult for us’: Uncertain future for RFE/RL’s Kazakh service
Radio Azattyq director Torokul Doorov says it is “very difficult” for journalists not to become activists in the face of “unfairness and injustice” in Kazakhstan. “You just want to start screaming,” says Doorov, who joined the Kazakh arm of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2014, and the outlet grew to be one of Kazakhstan’s most influential…
Kazakh journalist Temirlan Yensebek sentenced to 5 years of restricted freedom
New York, April 17, 2025—A court in the southern city of Almaty sentenced Temirlan Yensebek, the founder of the Instagram-based satirical outlet Qaznews24, on Friday, April 11, to five years of restricted freedom on charges of inciting ethnic and religious hatred. The court prohibited Yensebek from engaging in public activities, including working as a journalist, participating in…