Kazakh newspaper banned in first of dozens of likely closures
A court in the Kazakh city of Almaty has ruled to ban the
opposition newspaper "Golos Respubliki", Radio Liberty
reported.
The ruling came one day after state prosecutors filed applications
to shut down some 40 media outlets and political organizations.
The court accused "Golos Respubliki" (Voice of the Republic) of
supporting protests by striking oil workers in December 2011 in the
western oil town of Zhanaozen.
At least 17 people were killed on December 16 during clashes with
police in unrest related to the protests.
The crackdown on opposition media and organizations comes after
Vladimir Kozlov, the leader of the opposition Algha (Forward)
party, was sentenced in October to 7 1/2 years in prison for
allegedly calling for the overthrow of the government during the
protests.