Kazakhstan approved on Thursday a bill introducing tougher punishment for invasion of privacy in a move condemned by the opposition as an attack on press freedom.
The imprisoned director of the Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights, Yevgeny Zhovtis, has been denied access to his lawyer, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
Nazarbayev has understanding of human weaknesses and can forgive those who repent
As Kazakhstan gears up to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010, Astana is facing criticism over its recent democratization record. Helping to highlight the country's image issue is the question of whether or not President Nursultan Nazarbayev favors a proposal to dispense with elections and become president-for-life.
London's High Court ruled today (12 November) to maintain a freezing order restricting the assets of BTA Bank's ex-chairman, Mukhtar Ablyazov, and other former managers. Court sessions held on the matter last week shed new light on BTA's old ownership structure and the evidence both sides will rely upon in the multi-billion-dollar fraud case that will follow the asset freeze decision.
Tolerance — major vitality resource of Kazakhstan has become a subject of testing. The specificity of our country is the high level of tolerance; it's impossible to speak of any normal country development without it. Tolerance is the most important element of state safety for Kazakhstan. Kazakhstani tolerance started to give failures at the very inappropriate moment.
As Kazakhstan prepares to assume the chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, US diplomats are exerting pressure on Astana to enact promised reforms.
Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs -- not to mention the risk of loose nukes in Russia or Pakistan -- are worrying enough. But a number of other countries are looking to join the nuclear club, with terrifying potential consequences.
Upon the oppositional leaders of Azat and NSDP political parties’ declarations the new structure numbers about 400 thousand members. But if their political protest actions are to be attended with the declared number of members as it was at the Kazakh Concert Hall, they could become a strong political power long time ago.
