Satirical Outlet Qaznews24 Shuts Down

Administrators of the well-known satirical public page Qaznews24 have announced they are shutting down, reports Orda.kz.

Due to pressure from law enforcement agencies on the relatives of editorial members and the start of investigative checks, we have decided to close the project. Under the current conditions, we cannot continue our work, the statement said.

In the statement, the team noted that during the project’s existence, they had not received grants or foreign funding, only income from advertising and donations from subscribers.

In the spring, a court found the page’s author, Temirlan Yensebek, guilty of “inciting ethnic discord” for an Instagram post about Tina Kandelaki accompanied by the controversial song “Yo, Orystar.” The court sentenced him to five years of restricted freedom.

Following the verdict, the Qaznews24 account was blocked (it was later unblocked).

Temirlan Yensebek, founder and former author of the satirical Instagram page, was placed on the list of persons financing extremism. His fiancée, Maria Kochneva, told Orda.kz why the account was periodically blocked and what Yensebek is doing now. 

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, known for its sharp and uncompromising publications, took note of Yensebek’s case.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov