UPDATE ON KAZAKHSTANI JOURNALISTS CONFLICT WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASTANA 000918

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, SCA/CEN (MO'MARA),SCA/PPD (JKAMP),DRL/PHD
(CKUCHTA-HELBLING)

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KPAO KDEM KZ
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON KAZAKHSTANI JOURNALISTS CONFLICT WITH
INFORMATION MINISTER

Ref: A) Astana 652, B) 06 Almaty 1750


1. (SBU) Summary: The rapid escalation of the conflict between Era
TV and Information Minister Yermukhamet Yertysbayev in early March
was just as rapidly defused by mid-month. Yertysbayev apologized
March 14 "to all" whom he "might have offended" during a live
television program. After Yertysbayev met with an Era TV journalist
March 16, Era rescinded its legal actions against the ministry, and
the ministry in turn dropped its suit against Era for violating the
law requiring 50/50 Russian/Kazakh-language programming. The
newspaper Vremya has also put on hold its plans to sue the minister.
End summary.

Prime Minister Asks Information Minister to Apologize
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2. (U) The rapid escalation of the conflict between Era TV and
Information Minister Yermukhamet Yertysbayev in early March was just
as rapidly defused two weeks later. On March 14, during a live
call-in program about Kazakhstan's property legalization campaign
broadcast nationwide by official Kazakhstan-1, Chairman of
Kazakhstan's Union of Journalists Seitkazy Matayev phoned in, asking
Kazakhstan's prime minister to explain his position on Yertysbayev's
"tactless behavior toward journalists" that had "discredited state
authority in the entire country." Prime Minister Masimov responded,
"Yermukhamet Kabidinovich is my cabinet colleague. I should
naturally be on his side, but it is also difficult for me to legally
assess this issue. As a human being, from an ethical point of view,
I would recommend that you, Yereke [polite and informal for
Yermukhamet], as a man, apologize to that particular journalist."
(Per Ref A, Yertysbayev was shown on Channel 31 television news
excluding Era TV journalist Yulia Isakova from a pull-aside
interview following a government meeting on March 2.) Yertysbayev
responded, "If I offended someone inadvertently as claimed, I am
always ready to apologize, and I apologize to all whom I offended."

Era Makes Separate Peace, Cancels Lawsuits
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3. (SBU) On March 16, Yertysbayev had a private meeting at his
office with Era TV reporter Isakova. On the station's evening news,
Mirbulat Kunbayev, Era's general director, announced that "the
conflict between the minister of culture and information and an Era
TV journalist is over" and that Isakova was "satisfied with the
results of the meeting." He said Era TV was therefore recalling its
"previously filed lawsuits." (Per Ref A, the station had initiated
legal action to annul the January frequency tender and had filed
suit against the ministry for inhibiting the lawful activity of
their correspondent.) An embassy source in the media community told
emboff April 9 that presidential advisor Ardak Doszhan, former
Deputy Minister of Information, holds shares in Era TV, and that may
have eased the way for settling the dispute. Three days later, the
ministry dropped its suit against Era TV for the alleged violation
of the "50/50" law requiring equal Russian and Kazakh-language
programming. As a condition of the settlement, Era TV was required
to provide a concept of Kazakh language program development to be
approved by the ministry's committee on information and archives.

Vremya "Blinks"
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4. (SBU) Regarding the lawsuit the progressive daily newspaper
Vremya had intended to file against the information minister to
"defend the business reputation of the paper" (Ref A),deputy editor
Marat Asipov told emboff April 9 that the paper had planned to file
suit, but had not yet taken any specific actions. Asipov said the
decision on whether to follow through with a lawsuit would be made
by editor-in-chief Igor Meltser.

Frequency Tender Still Disputed
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5. (U) Before the resolution of Era's dispute, Mazhilis Deputy Serik
Abdrakhmanov said in an interview with Era on March 12 that he was
"pressured" as a member of the frequency commission and received 10
phone calls advising him which television companies should receive
the frequencies. He said when he tried to question why one channel
was favored over another, he was told only that "it should be this
way," without specifying who exactly was giving him instructions.
He said he quit the commission after the first session.


6. (U) Several media, including opposition weekly Republika on March
16, reported another question posed by Seitkazy Matayev to Prime
Minister Massimov during the call-in program March 14: Matayev asked
how the head of the Pavlodar channel Irbis could have been awarded

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frequencies in the tender if he had been denied Kazakhstani
citizenship. Matayev reportedly said that the national security law
prohibited non-citizens from owning media, and he asked the prime
minister whether the tender should therefore be annulled. In a
conversation with emboff April 9, Matayev said he had also provided
a written query to the prime minister, but had so far not received a
response.

Comment From Kazakhstani Media Representatives
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7. (SBU) An article in the March 23 issue of the pro-government
weekly Altyn Orda offered opinions of several media analysts that
Minister Yertysbayev is defending the interests of "Eurasia Group"
chairman and billionaire Aleksandr Mashkevich, allegedly the owner
of Ria Arna TV, which received seven frequencies in the January
tender. (Altyn Orda is rumored to be affiliated with Minister of
Economy and Budget Planning Aslan Musin.) Kasym Amanzholov, a
former correspondent of Kazakhstan 1, who quit after Yertysbayev's
reorganization of the channel last May (Ref B),thinks that
dismissing Yertysbayev would not bring about any real change in
media and society, but would be a democratic gesture, showing the
authorities conceding to popular demand. Bigeldin Gabdullin,
editor-in-chief of the pro-government Central Asia Monitor, was
quoted in the article saying journalists in conflict with
Yertysbayev are not representative of the journalist community
because the minister still has many supporters.

ORDWAY