Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. ·Feb. 3, 2004

CRUSH-THE-PRESS LAW -- What if the government had the authority to fire reporters and shut down newspapers and broadcasters for insulting "the honor and dignity" of politicians, bureaucrats, other influential people and even government agencies? Sounds absurd? Not in Nursultan Nazarbayev's Kazakhstan. A media law expected to come up in the former Soviet republic's Senate this month would do just that and more, all without a court order. A nebulous "authorized body on mass media affairs" would have the power to oversee the work of journalists and media outlets, and muzzle those if found offensive, says the draft law, which already passed the lower house. It would invoke more stringent rules to register journalists and hold them and their publications responsible for disseminating information that "does not coincide" with the regime's concept of "reality." That " could be interpreted as limiting a person’s right to express opinions," writes Bruce Pannier on Eurasianet. Saidkazy Matayev, chairman of the Journalists Association of Kazakhstan, told RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service that under the draft law. "the Information Ministry’s rights are getting stronger and the rights of journalists are completely forgotten." Reporters Without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) have criticized the draft law. WAN wrote to Nazarbayev that the draft law "would jeopardize constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and represent a further serious blow to freedom of expression in your country." http://eurasia.org.ru/2000/, http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

SERIOUSNESS OF REFORM IS UNTESTED -- A new electoral law that just passed its first reading in the Kazakh parliament is a step in the right direction, said the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) but it does not yet meet standards and guidelines for democratic elections "especially with regard to limitations on certain civil and political rights." Opposition parties and independent observers also noted that much more is needed to guarantee transparency and clarity before they can support the legislation. OSCE has been a leading critic of the Kazakh electoral system, as have the United States and other Western countries and human rights groups. Bad laws badly administered have led to widespread electoral fraud, and it remains to be seen what the final election law will look like and even then, how faithfully it will be administered. In recent elections, the regime has blocked the candidacies of strong opposition candidates and parties, using everything from tax courts to electoral laws to physical violence. http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39212&SelectRegion=Central_Asia

SOUNDS FISHY TO ME -- The long arm of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may reach into the Caspian and Black Seas in an attempt to protect beluga sturgeon by banning the sales of beluga caviar in the United States. " The species has been threatened by a loss of habitat in the Caspian and Black Seas, over-harvesting, pollution and illegal trade," reports the New York Times. The agency is expected to rule shortly that the beluga is endangered; if so, that would require the U.S. government to prohibit the import, export, interstate shipping and sale of the world's most expensive caviar. The United States buys about 25 percent of the world's beluga production -- about three tons last year -- and that is less than 20 percent of U.S. caviar sales. Beluga sells for $1,500 to $2,500 a pound in the United States. In addition there is a thriving illegal market, which is not regulated by international convention on endangered species. Beluga caviar sales are an important source of income for Kazakhstan, Russia and Bulgaria. http://query.nytimes.com/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org or see VOD Archives [http://iicas.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.

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