Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. · Aug. 7, 2003

ANOTHER DOOMED APPEAL? -- Sergei Duvanov, the jailed investigative journalist known for his exposes of bribery scandals engulfing the Nazarbayev regime, has appealed his case to the Supreme Court, according to his lawyers, as reported by the official news agency Khabar.kz. Duvanov, whose verdict was announced by President Nazarbayev before the trial even began, was convicted last January and sentenced to 42 months in jail on charges of raping a minor -- charges widely considered to be politically motivated and in retaliation for his reporting of Kazakhgate. In a country which the OSCE recently criticized again for its lack of an independent judiciary, Duvanov's lawyers are looking ahead to filing appeals with international courts. http://www.khabar.kz/news_eng/

NO NUKES IS GOOD NUKES -- Kazakhstan, with some of the largest oil and gas reserves outside of the Persian Gulf, wants to go nuclear. The Nazarbayev government wants to build a nuclear power plant on Lake Balkhash, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported, but local environmentalists and many citizens are strongly opposed. http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

PARANOIDS HAVE ENEMIES, TOO -- President Nazarbayev's National Security Committee suspects foreign intelligence services are showing an "intense interest" in their country. Military counterintelligence agents have found a number of foreign intelligence agents operating in their country, reports Interfax-Kazakhstan. Classified documents were believed stolen but no incidents were reported involving the security of weapons or ammunition. http://www.interfax-news.com/

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY -- Maybe they're waiting to be reunited with ET or just getting an early seat for the next launch, or they're just looking for a place to sleep. Whatever their reasons, more than 60 homeless persons have taken up residence around the Baikonur cosmodrome. Thirteen now have a home -- in the local jail -- and criminal proceedings have been opened against the rest, according to Novye Izvestiya. Under a 1994 agreement, Russia rents the cosmodrome -- the leading base for space launches -- from the Kazakh government for $115 million in annual rent. http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

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