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

REPORTERS WITHOUT FREEDOM -- Kazakhstan finds itself near the bottom of the first annual index of press freedom. The list, compiled by the international journalism group Reporters Without Borders, ranked Kazakhstan 116th out of 139 countries surveyed, putting it in the middle for Central Asia (Tajikistan 86, Kyrgyzstan 98, Uzbekistan 120, Turkmenistan 136), but close to the worst of the worst -- Burma, China and North Korea. At the opposite end of the scale were Finland, Iceland and Norway. http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=4116

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER – Kazakhstan's autocratic dictator is grooming his favorite daughter to succeed him when it comes time to retire, reports the Economist. The latest sign that Dariga Nazarbaeva, 40, is interested in the job is her announcement that she is creating her own political party, Asar, as reported in VOD last month. So what if the party has no political platform, it has influential friends in high places --very high places. Nazarbayev has no male heir; Dariga is the eldest of three daughters. Her husband showed a bit too much interest in succeeding his father-in-law, possibly before he was ready to retire, and he has since been exiled to Austria as ambassador. Dariga has become a powerful figure, heading the Khabar media group and the country's largest radio and tv networks, the national journalism association, launching Asar and standing at her father's side when he receives visiting heads of state. http://www.economist.com/

THINK TANK, LTD. – VERY LTD. – The Kazakhstan government has started a government think tank, an oddity in a dictatorship where thinking can land one in jail, particularly for expressing thoughts the regime disapproves of. And criticizing the dictator or his family is sure to land you in jail. They're calling it "Caspian Information Centre" and describing it as "Kazakhstan's Global think tank." I don't think so. Actually the operation is launching itself on November 5 in London; it is probably based there so its editors and can't get arrested by Nazarbayev's thought (and tax) police if he suddenly decides he doesn't like what his think tank is thinking. If one of the first papers published is any indication of what's to come, you can find the newsletter in the fiction section of your local library. The paper is titled "Freedom of Speech" and says "freedom of the press is guaranteed" by the Kazakh constitution as long as no one says anything "forbidden by…legislation" such as the ban on disrespecting the dictator. A broad assortment of international organizations have consistently condemned the Nazarbayev regime's well-documented anti-media practices and policies that have ranged from closing down offending broadcasters and publishers and confiscating equipment to physical attacks, arson and imprisonment. The "diversity of viewpoint" that the article boasts of does not exist and has in fact been replaced by exactly what the article says it replaced: "the days when Soviet rule meant that there was only one voice and one opinion." The article excuses repressive practices by defining them as part of "the country's cultural and historical context." http://www.caspianinfo.org

TAINTED MEET – British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s unofficial envoy and chief fundraiser met recently in Kazakhstan with a business tycoon facing charges of fraud and money laundering, reports The Sunday Times. Lord Levy was in Kazakhstan ostensibly to deliver a message from the PM to President Nazarbayev, but his meeting there with Alexander Maskevich raised eyebrows since the billionaire and Levy have been linked in published reports to a controversial 125,000 Pound donation to the Labor Party by Lakshmi Mittal, a British-based steel magnate. Belgian authorities are investigating Maskevich, one of central Asia’s richest and most powerful men, and two others for money laundering; he has close ties to Nazarbayev, who is facing similar investigation by Swiss and American authorities. http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org or see VOD Archives [http://iicas.org/english/enlibrary/libr_16_03_01kp.htm]. 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.

To unsubscribe from this list, or change the email address where you receive messages, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=kaznewsletter@v2.listbox.com