Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Wed, 30 Sep 1998 16:43:02 -0700 (PDT)
The following message from the FSU Media list ([email protected]) is
being cross-posted by Center for Civil Society International to the 1,300
members of our CivilSoc list. Please note the fax number of President
Nazarbaev, in case you wish to fax a letter in support of CPJ's Executive
Director Ann Cooper.
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September 30, 1998
His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev
President of Kazakstan
Almaty, Kazakstan
SENT BY FAX: 011-7-3272-637-633
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is greatly alarmed by the
illegal shutdown of the XXI Vek (21st Century) opposition newspaper by
Almaty city authorities on September 28 following the fire bombing of its
offices two days earlier.
Early on Monday, representatives of the so-called liquidation commission
of the Almaty city juridical board visited the newspaper's charred offices
and told the editors and staff of XXI Vek of their decision to close the
weekly. The officials gave no reason for the ruling, which contravenes
articles 49 and 50 of the country's civil code. According to those
articles, only the courts and the owners of a company have the authority
to dissolve a business.
Bigeldin Gabdullin, XXI Vek's editor-in-chief, is appealing the agency's
decision, which came only two days after unidentified assailants tossed a
Molotov cocktail through the third floor window of his office. No one was
injured in the nighttime attack. Paramedics who arrived first at the
scene managed to extinguish the fire before any firefighters appeared. The
fire destroyed office furniture, equipment and an archive containing all
29 issues of the new weekly.
The announced closure and fire bombing of XXI Vek are the culmination of a
month-long series of incidents apparently aimed at silencing the newspaper
for its critical coverage of the current administration. In mid-September,
under apparent pressure from authorities, the private printing house and
state-run distribution company that printed and distributed XXI Vek tore
up their contracts with the newspaper.
As a nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending the universally
recognized rights of our colleagues around the world, CPJ strongly
protests the illegal closure and violent attack against the XXI Vek
weekly. These acts violate all of Kazakstan's national and international
commitments to guarantee press freedom and the rights of journalists to
free and safely practice their profession.
This latest silencing of an alternative source of news contributes to the
increasingly repressive climate for opposition and independent news media
in Kazakstan since 1996. We urge you to investigate and reverse the
illegal move by Almaty city authorities to shut down XXI Vek. We also call
on you to rigorously investigate the fire bombing, and bring those found
responsible to justice.
Thank you for your attention. We await your comments.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA
Phone: (212) 465-1004
Fax: (212) 465-9568
Web: www.cpj.org
E-Mail: [email protected]
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