International PEN protests the three-year prison sentence handed down to editor Ramazan Yesergepov for “illegally obtaining and divulging state secrets.” PEN considers his conviction to be a breach of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Background Information

Ramazan Yesergepov (Esergepov), owner and editor-in-chief the Almaty-based independent weekly Alma-Ata Info, was sentenced to three years in prison by a Kazakhstani court on August 8, 2009, after spending seven months in detention. He was arrested on January 6, 2009 by armed and masked security officers while he was being treated for hypertension at the Cardiology Institute in Almaty.
 
The charges against the editor stem from an article published on November 21, 2008 entitled "Who rules the Country—The President or the Committee for National Security (CNS)?" which reportedly deals with a tax fraud allegation involving a local prosecutor and a judge. Since December 2008, Alma Ata Info, has been investigated for the disclosure of two leaked memos which published alongside the cited article.
 
According to the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech, during the trial Yesergepov maintained his innocence and stated that the facts in his article were of public interest.
 
Yesergepov’s verdict was announced behind closed doors, without the presence of journalists, and according to press reports a former Supreme Court Judge stated that a number of norms were contravened during the trial and that, as a consequence,  Yesergepov should be retried. The sentence was based in articles 172 and 339 of the Kazakh Criminal Code.
 
Kazakhstan is a participant state in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and in 2010 it will assume its chairmanship. Therefore, considering that the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms is one of the commitments assumed by all OSCE participant states, the imposition of the conviction against Ramazan Yesergepov and the general situation of the right to freedom of expression in Kazakhstan, would appear to be in breach of its commitment to the OSCE.

Write A Letter

  • Protesting the three-year prison sentence given to Ramazan Yesergepov, owner and editor-in-chief the Almaty-based independent weekly Alma-Ata Info;
  • Calling for his immediate and unconditional release, in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kazakhstan is a signatory;
  • Calling on the Kazakh authorities to unequivocally condemn all attacks on the independent press and to take urgent measures to ensure the safety of journalists and freedom of expression.

Send Your Letter To

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Mr Nursultan Abish-uly Nazarbayev
Office of the President
11 Mira Street
Astana 47300
Kazakhstan

Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva
Mr Amanzhol Zhankuliyev
16, Chemin du Prunier
Case postale 6
1218 Grand-Saconnex
Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 7886600
Fax: +41 22 7886602
Email:[email protected]
 

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative of Kazakhstan in your country if possible.

Please check with PEN if sending appeals after September 30, 2009: ftw[at]pen.org