KAZAKHSTAN: OPPOSITION WEBSITES BLOCKED

UNCLAS ASTANA 002935 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN (M. O'MARA) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM PREL KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: OPPOSITION WEBSITES BLOCKED ¶1. (U) On October 24, Tamara Kaleyeva of the media watchdog group Adil Soz and web publishers Yuriy Mizinov and Sergey Duvanov held a press conference in Almaty to criticize the blockage within Kazakhstan of four independent/opposition-oriented websites. According to the press conference organizers, the websites www.zonakz.net (published by Mizinov),www.kub.kz, and www.geo.kz have been inaccessible since October 18, and that the website www.inkar.info (published by Duvanov) has been inaccessible since October 22. The press conference organizers alleged that blockage of www.zonakz.net originated in Russia, through intervention purportedly initiated by the official Kazakhstani telecommunications provider Kazakhtelecom; the rest were blocked by Kazakhtelecom in Kazakhstan. (Note: Zonakz.net and inkar.info are accessible, but not through Kazakhstani internet service providers. End note.) ¶2. (SBU) Kaleyeva, Mizinov, and Duvanov alleged that the websites were blocked because they recently published MP3 audio recordings and transcripts of telephone conversations between high-level government officials, and that the government was trying to block all information relating to this compromising information. (Note: The websites published transcripts of three telephone conversations between Minister of Internal Affairs Baurzhan Mukhamedzhanov and Vladimir Ni, the former head of the Presidential Administration. The telephone conversations in general concerned President Nazarbayev's negative reaction to a purported investigation of oligarch Vladimir Kim. Some journalists speculated that Rakhat Aliyev released the audio transcripts, though Aliyev refused to comment on his connection to the transcripts in an interview with Respublika newspaper. End note.) The press conference organizers criticized the absence of any judicial process before the websites were blocked. ¶3. (U) According to press reports, Minister of Culture and Information Yermukhamet Yertysbayev denied any knowledge or responsibility for the blockage of the websites, and speculated that there may be technical reasons for the problem. He said that his ministry has not closed any newspapers or journals or websites. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: There is strong reason to suspect that Aliyev is the source of the audio recordings. The most likely scenario, we believe, is that after their release, senior government officials intervened to block the websites and limit distribution of the information to the Kazakhstani public. Ultimately, blocking the websites will prove futile, as there are methods to circumvent the blockages and journalists will continue to share the recordings and transcripts. Instead, the website blockages will only serve to raise further questions about the Government of Kazakhstan's commitment to freedom of speech. End comment. ORDWAY