UN Authority Figures

UN Committee on Information: Kazakhstan

At least four Kazakh journalists and activists were detained in advance of a protest over the government's decision to shutdown a critical magazine.
Source: Global Journalist, January 26, 2015

Mission of the Committee on Information: "...To promote the establishment of a new, more just and more effective world information and communication order intended to strengthen peace and international understanding and based on the free circulation and wider and better-balanced dissemination of information and to make recommendations thereon to the General Assembly." (Committee on Information website, "About the Committee")

Kazakhstan's Term of office: 1994 (P.2, Para 9) - current

Kazakhstan's Record on Freedom of Information:
"Judicial actions against journalists and media outlets, including civil and criminal libel suits filed by government officials, led to the suspension of several media outlets and encouraged self-censorship... The government limited individuals' ability to criticize the country's leadership, and regional leaders attempted to limit criticism of their actions in the local media. The law prohibits insulting the president, the president's family, and other senior officials... Companies allegedly controlled by members of the president's family or loyal associates owned the majority of those broadcast media outlets that the government did not control outright...All media are required to register with the Ministry of Investment and Development, although websites were exempt from this requirement... The law enables the government to restrict media content through amendments that prohibit undermining state security or advocating class, social, race, national, or religious discord. Owners, editors, distributors, and journalists may be held civilly and criminally responsible for content unless it came from an official source. The government used this provision to limit media freedom"
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2014, Kazakhstan)