New Accreditation Regulations: Journalists File Litigation Against Ministry of Culture

According to the plaintiffs, these regulations violate the right to freedom of speech and circulation of information, Orda.kz reports, citing "Adil Soz."

As reported by "Adil Soz," nine journalists filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Culture and Information in the Astana Interdistrict Civil Court. They have challenged specific items in the department's recently adopted "Model Rules for Accreditation of Journalists."

One item is the clause under which journalists can disseminate information received from government agencies only through the media outlet from which they were accredited. According to the plaintiffs, this requirement violates two articles of the Constitution — 20 and 39 — and the recently adopted "Law on Mass Media." They believe it limits the right to receive and disseminate information freely.

The state should be interested in the information they give at briefings being heard by as many citizens as possible. In the heyday of anonymous channels, it is foolish to limit the author's content of professional journalists. I am sure that a fair trial will rule in our favor and remove these absurd requirements that do not bring any practical benefit to society and complicate the work of professional journalists,"Adil Soz" quotes "Vlast's" Tamara Vaal.

Additionally, Karla Dzhamankulova, the president of "Adil Soz," said violations occurred when the new regulations were adopted.

I would like to draw attention to the fact that the procedure for introducing standard accreditation regulations was carried out in violation of the Law "On Legal Acts." In particular, by establishing the validity period of standard rules "retroactively", although legal acts establishing new legal liability cannot be put into effect until 60 calendar days after the official publication. The state requires strict compliance with the law by citizens of the country, therefore, its bodies have neither the moral nor the legal right to ignore the procedural requirements of the legislation, Dzhamankulova believes.

"Adil Soz" provides legal support to journalists and will represent their interests in court.

The Ministry of Culture adopted new "Model Regulations for Accreditation" this summer. The regulations contain a host of requirements, the violation of which can deprive journalists of accreditation. For instance, Press.kz journalist Zhaniya Urankayeva would later be prohibited from working in the government building. After a response from fellow journalists, the ban was overturned.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin