Kazakh parties call for release of detained newspaper editor
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 29 January 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh parties call for release of detained newspaper editor, 29 January 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4982d6c7c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 29, 2009
Ramazan Esergepov
Several political parties in Kazakhstan issued an official statement on January 29 demanding that the state security service (KNB) immediately release newspaper editor Ramazan Esergepov from detention.
RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports that six of the country's 10 officially registered political parties signed the petition.
Esergepov, the editor in chief of the weekly "Alma-Ata Info," was arrested on January 6 for allegedly disclosing state secrets in articles printed in his newspaper.
On January 27, Esergepov released a statement asking Kazakh political parties to help secure his release and urging them to take steps to reform the KNB.
Rozlana Taukina, the chairwoman of Journalists in Trouble, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service that Esergepov's arrest violates the Kazakh Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.