Kazakhstan’s Union of Journalists Appeals to the Prosecutor General and Supreme Court amid Case of Gulnar Bazhkenova

Kazakhstan’s journalistic community has issued a collective statement regarding the case of Orda.kz editor-in-chief Gulnar Bazhkenova, urging law enforcement agencies to strictly adhere to legal procedures and uphold the presumption of innocence, Orda.kz reports.

The statement argues that Article 274 of the Criminal Code ("dissemination of knowingly false information") should be removed from the criminal sphere and handled exclusively as a civil matter.

This article has become a universal tool for holding journalists and activists criminally liable. Individuals or organizations against whom false or defamatory information may have been disseminated must protect their reputations only within the framework of civil law. The journalistic community is calling on investigative authorities to examine Gulnar Bazhkenova's case comprehensively, objectively, and impartially,
 the Union said in its statement.

The organization also reminded colleagues of their responsibility when publishing information.

Meanwhile, KazTAG reports that lawyers, journalists, and activists have formally submitted a petition via the e-Otinish portal calling for the decriminalization of Article 274. The request has been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Constitutional Court, the Senate, and the Majilis.

An online petition is also being prepared.

Despite the stated goal of combating disinformation, in practice this article is overly politicized and used to prosecute statements on social media, as well as critical media coverage. The severity of the punishment — up to imprisonment — is completely out of proportion to the nature of the offense in most cases, which violates the fundamental principles of proportionality and fairness,
 the appeal states.

Yesterday morning, law enforcement officers raided the Orda.kz office, conducting searches and interrogations without showing warrants or allowing defense attorneys to enter.

Journalists had their phones and laptops seized, were treated harshly, and were held for more than five hours without the ability to contact family members. Their devices have not been returned.

The editor-in-chief, two journalists, and the outlet’s accountants were detained and questioned for roughly 40 minutes each.

On the evening of December 1, lawyer Murat Adam reported that the court had placed Gulnar Bazhkenova under house arrest for two months.

Following the events, the international freedom-of-speech foundation Adil Soz also issued a public statement, expressing serious concern.

Original Author: Zarina Fayzulina