JournalismPakistan.com | Published February 14, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
NEW YORK - Kazakh authorities should immediately release Zhanbolat Mamay, editor of the independent newspaper Sayasi kalam/Tribuna, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.
Police arrested Mamay, an outspoken government critic, in the capital Almaty on February 10, on suspicion of money laundering, Kazakh and regional media reported.
Mamay stands accused of illegally receiving funds from opposition leader and former head of BTA Bank Mukhtar Ablyazov, who faces similar charges in absentia from his exile in France, according to media reports and Kazakh government websites.
A February 10 statement published on the Kazakh National Anti-corruption Bureau’s website identifies Mamay as an “accomplice” of Ablyazov and accuses him of “laundering finances stolen by BTA Bank through financial operations of the newspaper Sayasi kalam/Tribuna” over the course of 2005-2009. If found guilty, Mamay faces up to seven years in prison.
On February 11, 2017, the Medeu Regional Court in Almaty placed the journalist under arrest for two months while the investigation continues, Kazkh media reported. In a statement Mamay gave to his lawyer, subsequently published by the human rights advocacy group Adil Soz, Mamay denied the charges and called the case “politically motivated” and an “an attempt to close the newspaper,” one of the last critical media outlets in Kazakhstan.
“Kazakhstan’s authorities have systematically cleansed the country’s news media of dissenting voices, and the arrest of Zhanbolat Mamay is one more step in that direction,” said Nina Ognianova, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia Program coordinator. “Kazkhstan should release the editor without delay and cease harassing him for his work.”
Mamay, who has written about official corruption and other sensitive issues, told the U.S.-government funded broadcast Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Kazakh-language service before his arrest that he was being followed, RFE/RL reported.
Ablyazov, who is wanted in Kazakhstan on charges of laundering some US $6 billion while he was the head of BTA Bank, today wrote on Facebook calling the charges against Mamay “absurd,” noting that he had never met the journalist, “who was 17-20 years old in the period of 2005-2009, when the money laundering allegedly took place.” The opposition leader denies the charges against him as well, and has for years fought Kazakhstan’s requests to extradite him. - Committee to Protect Journalists
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.