Vice Minister Responds to Charlie Hebdo Article on Yensebek Case

Vice Minister of Culture and Information Kanat Iskakov commented on the publication of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo about the case of Kazakh blogger Temirlan Yensebek, Orda.kz reports.

In particular, Charlie Hebdo mentioned that the Kazakh blogger was “muzzled.”

I saw the publication. I do not agree. I do not think that there is any censorship in Kazakhstan. There is a court decision that I have no right to discuss,
 Iskakov stated on the sidelines of Aqorda.

The Vice Minister also stated that Charlie Hebdo, although an international media outlet, is “not the entire international community.”

Journalists asked whether such publications negate the billions of tenge that Kazakhstan spends on its image.

Answering the question of whether the ministry sufficiently protects the rights of journalists, in particular, in the cases of Temirlan Yensebek, Daniyar Adilbekov, and Kirill Pavlov, Iskakov noted that “there are general civil norms that everyone must adhere to — both journalists and ordinary people.”

Therefore, firstly, we have no right to comment on anything that concerns the court's decision. Secondly, your question is the extent of the Ministry protection. The Ministry makes every effort to protect the rights of journalists. First of all, we adopted the law on mass media. 

In addition, digital harassment of journalists and editors-in-chief has recently become more frequent. However, no specific actions have been taken by the ministry.

Kanat Iskakov disagrees.

In May, the Orda.kz's site and accounts on Instagram and Threads were blocked. Editor-in-Chief Gulnara Bazhkenova was also subjected to cyber harassment.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova