Watchdog group calls on Kazakhstan to release jailed journalist
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 February 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Watchdog group calls on Kazakhstan to release jailed journalist, 14 February 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a538a.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. |
February 14, 2017
Zhanbolat Mamay, editor of the Tribuna newspaper
A journalism watchdog group has called on Kazakhstan to release an independent journalist and outspoken government critic who was imprisoned last week on allegations of money laundering.
"Kazakhstan's authorities have systematically cleansed the country's news media of dissenting voices, and the arrest of Zhanbolat Mamay is one more step in that direction" Nina Ognianova, a Central Asian coordinator for the Committee To Protect Journalists, said on February 13.
"Kazkhstan should release the editor without delay and cease harassing him for his work," she said.
Mamay, who has written about official corruption and other sensitive issues, was arrested for a period of two months on February 11. He stands accused of illegally receiving funds from opposition leader and former head of BTA Bank Mukhtar Ablyazov, who faces similar charges in absentia from exile in France, according to the Kazakh government and media reports.
If found guilty, Mamay faces up to seven years in prison.
Mamay has denied the charges and called the case "politically motivated" and "an attempt to close the newspaper," one of the last independent media outlets in Kazakhstan.
Ablyazov also called the charges "absurd," saying he has never met Mamay.
Mamay told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service before his arrest that he was being followed.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website