In Kazakhstan, 'The Floods Are Over But The Problems Have Just Begun' globalsecurity.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globalsecurity.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published their press freedom index this month, highlighting the region-wide crackdown on freedom of expression in Central Asia. While Turkmenistan remains at the bottom of the table, the scores of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have all plummeted compared to last year.
The General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on April 29 that former minister of internal affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev was detained for abuse of power. A special court in Astana confirmed on May 2 that he will be kept in pre-trial detention for two months. Former President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed Turgumbayev as minister of internal affairs in February 2019, just before resigning. Turgumbayev received strong criticism for his role during the repression of country-wide protests in January 2022, known in Kazakh as ‘Qandy Qantar’.