ALMATY (Reuters) - A U.S. media group has criticized Kazakhstan for effectively banning an opposition newspaper, saying the move violated the core values of Europe's main democracy watchdog, chaired by Kazakhstan this year.
Distribution of the main opposition Respublika newspaper was halted in February after a court ruled a story published by the paper last year had triggered a bank run on deposits of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based press freedom watchdog, in a statement late Tuesday, described the ruling as "shameful."
"The ongoing politicized prosecution of the independent weekly contradicts the mission and core values of the OSCE," said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Coordinator Nina Ognianova in a statement.
"We call on Kazakhstan's courts to overturn this shameful ruling and allow Respublika ... to function without fear of harassment."
Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry said it could not immediately comment on the CPJ statement.
A court said the paper must remain closed until it pays about $400,000 in damages to BTA Bank, nationalized last year. The newspaper said it does not have the money to pay the fine.
Kazakhstan, which allows little criticism of its president and has never held an election judged free and fair, took over the rotating chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010 on promises to improve its record.
The OSCE has criticized Kazakhstan for restrictive media laws and demanded it loosen its grip on the press.
Kazakhstan, ruled by President Nursultan Nazarbayev for two decades, has said it wanted to focus on security issues more than democracy during its year chairing the OSCE.
Respublika has disputed the ruling but its appeal was rejected this month. The newspaper and rights groups have described the decision as politically motivated but Kazakh officials said it was in line with Kazakh defamation laws.
Respublika has continued to function, posting regular political articles on its website.
(Editing by Simon Falush)
Source: Reuters US Online Report World News
