Journalists Lose Appeal Against Ministry of Culture and Information

The Interdistrict Civil Court of Astana dismissed nine journalists' appeal against the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The media representatives, including Orda.kz employees, sought to overturn the new accreditation regulations.

The plaintiffs pointed out that the accreditation regulations — a normative act affecting the rights and freedoms of journalists — should have come into force after official publication.

However, the standard accreditation regulations came into force on August 20, 2024, and were only officially published later.

Therefore, the journalists requested that the order be recognized as contrary to the law and invalid.

The plaintiffs also challenged the regulations' subparagraph one.

It states that an accredited journalist may disseminate the information received "only in the media on whose behalf the corresponding application for accreditation was received."

According to media representatives, this paragraph limits the methods of disseminating information and, therefore, contradicts the Constitution and the Law on Mass Media.

However, the courts of the first and second instances considered the regulations to be justified:

The rules do not violate the constitutional rights of journalists and ensure equal conditions for all media representatives. No violations of the rights of the plaintiffs related to the introduction of the rules have been established.

Adil Soz previously expressed disappointment with the court's decision.

The International Foundation for the Defense of Freedom of Speech stated that the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Culture and Information should be regulated only by law, not by-laws.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva