The mass media in Kazakhstan refers to mass media outlets based in Kazakhstan, a Central-Asian country that gained independence after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, in 1991. The Constitution of Kazakhstan guarantees freedom of press, but privately owned and opposition media have been subject of censorship. In 2004 the International Federation of Journalists identified a "growing pattern" of intimidation of the media, and in 2012 several opposition media outlets were ordered to be shut down on charges of promoting "extremism".
All media must register with the Ministry of Culture, Information and Sports, with the exception[citation needed] of websites.
History of mass media and freedom of the press
The media in Kazakhstan is "dominated by state-owned and pro-government outlets. Most major outlets are controlled by the government directly or indirectly," according to the BBC. Opposition newspapers and magazines were either closed or forced abroad, under threat of being fined. The most popular medium is television, with the government running the national networks. Kazakhs have access to Russian television stations through cable and satellite; on the internet, Russian social media are the most popular.[1]
Reporters Without Borders noted in 2024 that "repressive reforms" have since 1997 seriously limited the freedom of the press in Kazakhstan, and stated that "the media landscape is now essentially a propaganda outlet for the Kazakh regime". More restrictions followed in 2022, after the 2022 Kazakh unrest. According to Reporters Without Borders, "The government pays private media to disseminate its propaganda. The government controls the appointment of top editors at state-owned and state-controlled media. The Ministry of Information itself serves as a media regulator."[2]
A wide range of publications, mostly supportive of the government, are available. The authorities operates newspaper in Kazakh, and a regular national Russian-language newspaper. There were 990 privately owned newspapers and 418 privately owned magazines. Those supportive of the opposition face harassment and lawsuits.[citation needed]
The opposition publication Respublika ran into serious difficulty after November 2001, when owners of printing presses refused to print the publication after a failed attempt by a government representative to buy a controlling stake in Respublika.[5] (One owner found a human skull placed on his doorstep.[5])
The paper evaded a mid-March 2002 court order to stop printing for three months by printing under other titles, such as Not That Respublika.[5] A decapitated dog was hung from Respublika building with a screwdriver sticking into its side and a note reading "there will be no next time";[6] the dog's head was left outside Irina Petrushova's home.[7] Three days later, the newspaper's offices were firebombed and burned to the ground.[8] In July, Petrushova was given an eighteen-month jail sentence on tax charges, but served no time after a judge ruled that the case fell under an amnesty.[9] (Petrushova eventually left the country for Russia, where she continued to publish via the Internet, living apart from her family for their safety.[6] In recognition of her work, she was awarded a 2002 International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US-based NGO.[8])
In May 2005 the Kazakh Information Ministry ordered the paper to be closed, accusing it of inciting ethnic hatred by publishing an interview with a Russian politician who made derogatory remarks about ethnic Kazakhstanis. The paper's deputy editor Galina Dyrdina claimed the closure was politically motivated, and vowed to appeal.[10] The paper continued to be published under a variety of titles.[11]
In November 2012, before the anniversary of the Mangystau riots, Kazakh authorities raided and searched Respublika's office and again suspended its publication while a verdict on criminal charges was still pending.[12][13] On 21 November, Prosecutors moved to ban Respublika including eight newspapers and 23 Internet sites under its umbrella, along with the Vzglyad newspaper and its Internet sites for "propagating extremism".[14]Reporters Without Borders described this as a "pretext" and said it would be the end of pluralism in Kazakhstan.[14] A month later, the ban was ordered.[15]
A magazine and two other newspapers
Other media experienced difficulties during the November 2012 case against media sources in Kazakhstan; Altyn Tamyr, Tortinshi Bilik and DAT (with its website—dat.kz—inaccessible as of December 2012).
The state-owned Kazakh Radio broadcasts in official and Russian languages. A wide number of private radio stations are also available including Europa Plus, (Russian Radio), Hit FM, Radio Azattyq and Radio Karavan.
Media websites
The country had 5.4 million internet users in 2011—up[18] from 2010. "Twitter, Facebook and YouTube audience share is less than 0.4%",[18] according to BBC in 2012.
The censorship of online publications has become routine and arbitrary.
In 2003 [19] the state telecom firm KazakhTelecom was ordered to block access to a dozen websites it said were 'extremist'. The pages either supported the opposition or provided neutral news coverage.
In July, 2009, the government passed amendments to laws on[citation needed] the Internet which some critics claimed unduly restrictive. The law made internet content subject to existing laws on expression, such as criminal libel. It also widened the scope of 'banned media content' to cover political matters, such as coverage of the election campaign.[20]
A broadcasting bill implemented in December 2011 was aimed at improving the content of the national media, and to 'protect' it from external influence. According to the government, the bill would “eliminate low quality content that inflicts psychological or emotional damage on views.” [21]
The country had 5.4 million internet users and 362,000 Facebook users as of December 31, 2011.
Lawsuits with governmental plaintiffs and defendants from media
In November 2012, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and LiveJournal were cited in a lawsuit filed by Kazakh prosecutors seeking to shut down opposition media outlets. The prosecutors demanded the websites stop publishing material from Kazakh opposition sources.[citation needed]
The following month a court in Almaty ruled that a number of opposition media outlets, such as the television channels Stan TV and K+ and newspapers Vzglyad and Respublika, had to close due to their "extremist" views. These were the same outlets who reported on the Mangystau riots in 2011.[22]
Punishment for defaming a news agency
Increasingly, censorship is imposed by means of civil legal action, such as defamation suits. On 13 June 2005 a court in Almaty ordered former Information Minister Altynbek Sarsenbaev (the opposition leader assassinated in January 2006) to pay 1 million tenge ($7,500) in damages for 'defaming' Khabar news agency. Sarsenbaev was also ordered to publicly retract comments he made in an interview with the opposition newspaper Respublika. He had alleged that Khabar was part of a monopolistic media holding controlled by Dariga Nazarbayev. The case is believed to be in response to his resignation after the 2004 elections. At the time he stated "The election was not fair, honest, or transparent; the authorities showed that from the beginning they didn't want honest elections.
Media-related legal code
Media watchdog groups such as ARTICLE 19 have voiced their concern over the government's moves in the past few years to silence the opposition.[23] Recent changes in media-related laws in Kazakhstan appear to target non-governmental media outlets. Criticism of government employees can lead to lawsuits, and news laws against "extremism" have been used to shut down opposition media sources.
According to opposition source Adil Soz the Kazakh legal code is stringent on defamation, allowing even for cases where the defamation is true. "One can seek compensation for true statements damaging his/her reputation – for example, a government official who is of accused of abuse of State funds, can claim compensation even if the statement damaging his/her reputation is true". This also means that an Internet Service Provider could attract liability "by unwittingly providing access to insulting or defamatory information published through the Internet".[23]
The mass media in Belarus consists of TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, and Internet-based websites/portals. The media is monopolized by the government, which owns all TV channels, most of the radio and print media. Broadcasting is mostly in Russian, and Russian media are widely present. After 2020, all independent media were pushed out of the country. The Law on Mass Media has been repeatedly amended and tightened, making it virtually impossible for independent journalists and publications to operate. European, Ukrainian and news websites were blocked in Belarus. The Constitution of Belarus guarantees freedom of speech, but this is contradicted in practice by repressive and restrictive laws. Arbitrary detention, arrests, and harassment of journalists are frequent in Belarus. Anti-extremism legislation targets independent journalism, including material considered unfavourable to the president. As of 2023, Belarus ranks 157th in the World Press Freedom Index. BBC describes the Belarusian media environment as one of the most repressive in Europe.
Respublika or Golos Respubliki was a weekly Russian-language Kazakhstani newspaper. Founded by Irina Petrushova in 2000, the paper is known for its reporting on government corruption. It was ordered to closure in 2002 and in May 2005 by the Ministry of Culture, Information and Sports, but continued to publish under a variety of titles. In late 2012, before the anniversary of the Mangystau riots, Kazakhstani authorities raided and searched Respublika's office and again suspended its publication, pending a verdict on criminal charges.
Mass media in Morocco includes newspapers, radio, television, and Internet.
The mass media in Georgia refers to mass media outlets based in the Republic of Georgia. Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues. The Constitution of Georgia guarantees freedom of speech. Georgia is the only country in its immediate neighborhood where the press is not deemed unfree. As a country in transition, the Georgian media system is under transformation.
Censorship in Turkey is regulated by domestic and international legislation, the latter taking precedence over domestic law, according to Article 90 of the Constitution of Turkey.
Multiple forms of media including books, newspapers, magazines, films, television, and content published on the Internet are censored in Saudi Arabia.
The mass media in Malaysia includes television, radio, newspapers, and web-based media such as bloggers. Many media outlets are either owned directly by the government of Malaysia or owned by component parties of the Barisan Nasional coalition which continuously form the government during Mahathir Mohamad's tenure until May 2018. Opposition parties during this era like the Islamic Party and People's Justice Party publish their own newspapers, Harakah and Suara Keadilan respectively, which are openly sold alongside regular publications.
Censorship in Belarus, although prohibited by the country's constitution, is enforced by a number of laws. These include a law that makes insulting the president punishable by up to five years in prison, and another that makes criticizing Belarus abroad punishable by up to two years in prison.
The current government of Russia maintains laws and practices that make it difficult for directors of mass-media outlets to carry out independent policies. These laws and practices also hinder the ability of journalists to access sources of information and to work without outside pressure. Media inside Russia includes television and radio channels, periodicals, and Internet media, which according to the laws of the Russian Federation may be either state or private property.
The mass media in Armenia refers to mass media outlets based in Armenia. Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues. Armenia's press freedoms improved considerably following the 2018 Velvet Revolution.
The print, broadcast and online mass media in Burma has undergone strict censorship and regulation since the 1962 Burmese coup d'état. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press; however, the government prohibits the exercise of these rights in practice. Reporters Without Borders ranked Burma 174th out of 178 in its 2010 Press Freedom Index, ahead of just Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea. In 2015, Burma moved up to 144th place, ahead of many of its ASEAN neighbours such as Singapore, as a result of political changes in the country.
The mass media in Syria consists primarily of television, radio, Internet, film and print. The national language of Syria is Arabic but some publications and broadcasts are also available in English and French. While television is the most popular medium in Syria, the Internet has become a widely utilized vehicle to disseminate content. Transcending all available media, the government seeks to control what Syrians see by restricting coverage from outside sources. Publications and broadcasts are monitored by members of the government. All mass media outlets are under the supervision of the Ministry of Information. Third article of the 2013 Information Ministry guidelines stipulate that purpose of all media outlets is "to enlighten public opinion" in line with the ideological doctrines "of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and the policy of the state".
The mass media in Mongolia refers to the print, broadcast and online media in Mongolia. Since the collapse of the Soviet style system in 1990, the media has undergone large reforms which have allowed greater diversity and freedom of the press which make it one of the most free in the region. Censorship of media outlets is forbidden under the 1998 Media Freedom Law. In its 2013 report, Reporters Without Borders classified the media environment as 98th out of 179, with 1st being most free.
Ukraine was in 96th place out of 180 countries listed in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, having returned to top 100 of this list for the first time since 2009, but dropped down one spot to 97th place in 2021, being characterized as being in a "difficult situation".
Irina Petrushova is a Russian journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of the weekly Respublika in Kazakhstan. After a series of stories exposing government corruption, her life was threatened and her paper firebombed. In 2002, she was awarded a CPJ International Press Freedom Award.
DAT is a Kazakh newspaper. Along with Altyn Tamyr and Tortinshi Bilik, it is an opposition news source. The newspaper fell into difficulties during the November 2012 case against media sources in Kazakhstan; its website dat.kz as of December 2012 is inaccessible. Ularbek Baitailaq, an archivist of the Kazakh National Archive, has contributed articles to the resource.
The Khabar Agency (KA) (Kazakh: "Хабар" Агенттігі, romanized: "Habar" Agenttıgı, ; Russian: Агентство «Хабар», romanized: Agentstvo Khabar) is a major media outlet in Kazakhstan. It was established in 1995, known originally as the National Television News Agency (Khabar is News in Kazakh). It is currently one of the largest networks in the country, and broadcasts daily in Kazakh and Russian. Additionally, Khabar runs the satellite channel Jibek Joly TV, which is potentially available across Europe and Asia. It features programming in English, Kazakh and Russian.
Most Azerbaijanis receive their information from mainstream television, which is unswervingly pro-government and under strict government control. According to a 2012 report of the NGO "Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS)" Azerbaijani citizens are unable to access objective and reliable news on human rights issues relevant to Azerbaijan and the population is under-informed about matters of public interest.
Freedom of the press in India is legally protected by the Amendment to the constitution of India, while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the law of India to maintain a hybrid legal system for independent journalism. In India, media bias or misleading information is restricted under the certain constitutional amendments as described by the country's constitution. The media crime is covered by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which is applicable to all substantive aspects of criminal law.
Freedom of the press in Pakistan is legally protected by the law of Pakistan as stated in its constitutional amendments, while the sovereignty, national integrity, and moral principles are generally protected by the specified media law, Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, and Code of Conduct Rules 2010. In Pakistan, the code of conduct and ordinance act comprises a set of rules for publishing, distributing, and circulating news stories and operating media organizations working independently or running in the country.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
