Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·July 9, 2002

AND THE TRUTH SHALL SEND YOU TO JAIL -- Sergey Duvanov, a prominent independent journalist, was arrested today by Kazakh secret police and jailed for telling the truth. The official charge is "insulting the honor and dignity of the president of Kazakhstan." His crime was writing an article called "Silence of the Lambs," [http://www.kub.kz/portal/article.php?sid=1140] about the Nazarbayev regime's attempts to block reporting about investigations by Swiss and American authorities into alleged bribery, money laundering and corruption by the dictator, his family members and close associates. The case has been widely reported around the world but suppressed in Kazakhstan, where even the reprinting of the facts has landed other journalists in jail or worse. Duvanov's computer, work notes and other research materials were confiscated by government agents. Sources in the Kazakh KNB (state security) confirmed to VOD that Duvanov's arrest is in retaliation for the article as well as for his attempts to establish a group to monitor broadcasts of Kazakh state supported media, which are largely under the control of Nazarbayev's favorite daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva. The taxpayer-funded media routinely suppress any information unfavorable to the ruling clique while spinning the rest of the news to support the government line. Duvanov's friends are appealing to foreign governments, human rights groups and individuals to protest this politically motivated persecution through calls and letters to Kazakh embassies abroad and to Nazarbayev himself. Interestingly, during a visit to Washington, D.C., last year, Duvanov told a news conference there is "no more opposition press nor independent media" in his country. He called Nazarbayev "one of the smart post-Soviet dictators, who like Putin, does not have to kill journalists to render them ineffective." He said the regime closely monitors coverage of government corruption and if journalists dig too deeply they likely to faces charges of "insulting the dignity and honor of the President." That proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy today. http://www.kub.kz/

TOOTH FAIRY ALIVE AND WELL IN ASTANA... ­- In another of his famous flights of fantasy, Kazak dictator has reaffirmed his commitment to democracy and denied his regime restricts the media. Brushing aside intense international criticism of his government's harsh repression of independent and opposition media, he told reporters in Astana, according to Interfax, that 90% of the country's media are privately owned and free to criticize the authorities without risk of reprisals. That should be welcome news to journalists like Sergey Duvanov who sits in jail today [see item above] and editors who have been prosecuted and persecuted by Nazarbayev, who have been beaten, threatened and harassed by his secret police, or are in his prisons, hospitals, courtrooms or in exile. http://www.interfax-news.com/, http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

...BUT NOT IN WASHINGTON -- While Nazarbayev was declaring his commitment to democracy and a free press, members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee were hearing something very different: the truth. B. Lynn Pascoe, a deputy assistant secretary of state, accused the Nazarbayev regime of "a spate of unsolved attacks and government restrictions against the independent media…selective corruption prosecutions against opposition politicians when they appear to be gaining political influence." Prof. Martha Brill Olcott of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the committee there is "little evidence" that Nazarbayev and his top officials are serious about democratic reform." http://www.state.gov/

BEWARE OF NERVOUS ALLIES -- Allies in the war against terror which, like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, "need support in the fight against their own citizens are not just unreliable. They are dangerous," American lawmakers were warned. In testimony submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, former Kazakh Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin said rulers of former Soviet republics in Central Asia are using the war against terror as an excuse to crack down on their own citizens and thereby tighten their own grip on power. Kyrgyz President Alayev plays a two-faced game, appearing to cooperate in the war against terror while "fueling the anti-American sentiments and protest movements" against the American presence. The dictator "has been rapidly losing his grip on power" Kazhegeldin said, urging U.S. support for the Kyrgyz opposition in order to ensure a pro-Western successor. America needs allies who "share your fundamental values like freedom, equality and justice," he said. There is little difference between Saddam Hussein and the Turkmenbashi or Nursultan Nazarbayev, he said, since all offer "the same authoritarian rule, the desire to remain in power indefinitely, family control of the economy and control of the press." Kazhegeldin, leader of the democratic opposition, told senators. "Only democracy can provide security....Central Asian presidents do not share democratic values. Moreover, they despise the western political system for what they see as a weakness." http://eurasia.org.ru/2000/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org. The Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation promotes democracy and human rights in Kazakhstan through public affairs and educational programs in the United States and Europe. This material is distributed by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice,  Washington, D.C.