On Thursday 10 March, 2016, during the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, a debate on freedom of expression in Kazakhstan was held. After the discussion, an urgent resolution was adopted.
The recent cases of clampdown on freedom of speech carried out by the Kazakh authorities, including these of Nakanune online portal in Kazakhstan and Respublika media outlet in the United States, attracted the attention of the Members of the European Parliament, who called on Kazakhstan to immediately release detained activists, journalists and political prisoners and to adhere to its international human rights obligations.
- Video: Mr Tunne Kelam (Estonia, European People’s Party) on media freedom in Kazakhstan
- Video: Mr Pavel Svoboda (Czech Republic, European People’s Party) on Nakanune’s case in Kazakhstan
- Video: Mr Pier Antonio Panzeri (Italy, Socialists and Democrats) on Respublika’s case in the United States
- Video: Mrs Marju Lauristin (Estonia, Socialists and Democrats) on persecution of the Kazakh political opposition abroad
- Video: Mr Doru-Claudian Frunzulica (Romania, Socialists and Democrats) on ratification of the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between the EU and Kazakhstan
The plenary session debate with the urgent resolution were the result of a high-level working breakfast at the European Parliament in Brussels dedicated to the topic of media freedom in Kazakhstan and the persecution of Kazakh independent journalists and bloggers, in the country and abroad, organised on Tuesday, 26 January 2016, by the Open Dialog Foundation and the Estonian Member of the European Parliament Mrs Marju Lauristin (Socialists and Democrats).
The recent statements of the international organizations and other human rights NGOs on media freedom in Kazakhstan, and particularly the Nakanune and Respublika cases are available below:
- European Parliament’s resolution on freedom of expression in Kazakhstan
- Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media 1, 2
- Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
- Human Rights Watch
- Amnesty International
- Freedom House 1, 2
- Reporters Without Borders
- Human Rights Foundation 1, 2
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Podcast of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty with the participation of Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialog Foundation
- Courthouse News Service 1, 2, 3, 4
- The Diplomat 1, 2, 3
- Kyiv Post
- Mondiaal Nieuws (in Dutch)
- Open Dialog Foundation 1, 2