After hearing news that President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan signed into law a restrictive Internet regulation bill on Saturday, we issued the following statement today…
“This is a severe blow to Internet users and the media in Kazakhstan,” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “The legislation makes all internet resources including blogs, online forums, and social networks liable to the same repressive laws and regulations as the mainstream media. It effectively enables the authorities to stifle dissent across all platforms and is incompatible with Kazakhstan’s upcoming role as chair of the region’s leading human rights body, the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe.”