Azattyq Prepares Lawsuit Against Kazakh Foreign Ministry Over Denied Press Accreditations

The editorial team of Radio Azattyq is preparing to file a lawsuit against Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the ministry refused to renew accreditation for seven Kazakh journalists working at the outlet, reports Orda.kz.

Media experts argue that the decision violates constitutional rights and is linked to new accreditation rules for foreign media and journalists that came into force less than a year ago.

According to the legal media center Media Qoldau, Azattyq is officially accredited in Kazakhstan, but the Ministry did not provide specific reasons for denying accreditation extensions to individual journalists.

By delaying its response and failing to provide clear grounds for renewal, the MFA itself has created conditions that restrict journalists’ constitutional rights and the relevant legal provisions, wrote Gulmira Birzhanova, head of Media Qoldau’s legal service, on Facebook.

Legal experts say the ministry’s actions violate Article 20 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, which guarantees freedom of expression and access to information. They also point to Article 4 of the relevant media law, which states that foreign media journalists may not work without official accreditation.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova