Kazakhstan urged to drop charges against Orda editor

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 32 minutes ago

CPJ called on Kazakhstan to drop charges against Orda editor Gulnara Bazhkenova after armed raids, detentions, and escalating pressure on independent media across the country.

Summary

NEW YORK — Kazakh authorities are facing calls from international press freedom advocates to drop criminal charges against Gulnara Bazhkenova, editor-in-chief of the independent news outlet Orda, following police raids and detentions across multiple cities on December 1.

Armed officers raided Orda’s editorial offices in Astana and Almaty, detained at least five staff members, and searched Bazhkenova’s home. Authorities accused her of repeatedly distributing knowingly false information and placed her under two months of house arrest pending investigation, while other staff were released after questioning.

Escalating pressure on a critical outlet

The incident follows months of alleged harassment targeting Bazhkenova and Orda, one of Kazakhstan’s most influential critical media organizations. The outlet has reported facing cyberattacks, hacking attempts, threats of violence, and even fabricated announcements of Bazhkenova’s death.

The Committee to Protect Journalists described the charges and raids as a major escalation against independent media and called for reforms to ensure defamation cases are handled solely through civil proceedings.

Details of the police operation

Orda reported that its Almaty staff were held for about five hours as police searched the office, denied lawyers entry, and refused to show a search warrant. Officers seized computer equipment, documents, cash, and journalists’ phones. Those taken in for questioning included Bazhkenova, the outlet’s Astana and Almaty bureau chiefs, a news editor, and an accountant.

Almaty police later announced multiple charges related to alleged false information, including material published in 2024, and confirmed that investigations into older reports were also underway.

Concerns over retaliation and wider media crackdown

Kazakh rights defenders and journalists have suggested the case may be connected to Orda’s earlier reports linking a former foreign minister to large-scale corruption and to coverage of the 2024 assassination of an opposition blogger. Authorities have not publicly addressed these suggestions.

In recent months, Kazakhstan has increasingly used false information laws against independent media, including actions against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and several prominent reporters.

CPJ said it contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Almaty police department for comment but had not received a response.

KEY POINTS:

• Police raided Orda offices in Astana and Almaty and detained multiple staff
• Editor-in-chief Gulnara Bazhkenova was placed under house arrest for alleged false information offenses
• CPJ called the charges a concerning escalation against independent media
• Orda reported police denied lawyers entry and seized equipment and documents
• Rights defenders believe the charges may relate to Orda’s past investigative reporting

ATTRIBUTION: Information sourced from CPJ statements and Orda reporting.

PHOTO: During the search of Orda’s offices, police denied entry to lawyers and refused to show a search warrant. (Screenshot: Nastoyashchee Vremya. Aziya/YouTube)