Kazakhstan: Internet censorship introduced
The Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan has introduced internet censorship for fear of criticism from opponents of the government. Authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law to this effect.
The Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan has introduced internet censorship for fear of criticism from opponents of the government. Authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law to this effect. This means that opinion pieces in blogs and chats, for example, are to be placed under special control, as Russian media reported on Wednesday according to SDA.
According to the Moscow newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the leadership in Astana wants to prevent dissidents from quickly organizing protests via the Internet, as they did in Moldova at the beginning of April. Kazakhstan is due to take over the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010.
The decree puts the internet on an equal footing with other media, most of which are loyal to the state. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the "regulation of the internet" as a restriction of freedom of expression.
Holly Cartner, the HRW director responsible for Central Asia, called on the Kazakh government to overturn the law and implement the democratic reforms called for by the West.
According to the Moscow newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, the leadership in Astana wants to prevent dissidents from quickly organizing protests via the Internet, as they did in Moldova at the beginning of April. Kazakhstan is due to take over the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010.
The decree puts the internet on an equal footing with other media, most of which are loyal to the state. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the "regulation of the internet" as a restriction of freedom of expression.
Holly Cartner, the HRW director responsible for Central Asia, called on the Kazakh government to overturn the law and implement the democratic reforms called for by the West.
