An Almaty court has found RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, known locally as Radio Azattyq, guilty of disseminating false information, and the court imposed a fine of 184,000 tenges ($371), it said on November 20.
The case originated from a complaint filed on November 13 by Shymkent resident Alisher Turabaev.
Turabaev alleged that a Kazakh-language video published on Radio Azattyq’s portal on September 13 falsely stated that a prosecutor had requested an eight-year prison sentence for journalist Daniyar Adilbekov on September 12.
SEE ALSO: Kazakh Journalist Mukhammedkarim's Appeal Of Prison Sentence DeniedTurabaev pointed out that court proceedings did not reach this stage until October 16, making the prosecutor’s request impossible at the time.
Radio Azattyq acknowledged the error was due to a translation mistake when adapting content from a Russian-language publication.
The original Russian report stated that Adilbekov faced "up to eight years in prison" for charges of defamation based on a Telegram post. However, during translation into Kazakh, the phrase was inaccurately rendered as stating that the prosecutor had already "requested eight years." Radio Azattyq expressed readiness to correct the mistake.
This marks the second time Radio Azattyq has been fined under Article 456-2 of Kazakhstan’s Administrative Offenses Code.
In October 2023, Turabaev successfully filed another complaint against Radio Azattyq, alleging the phrase "Russian-led CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization)” on its Russian-language site was false information. The court fined Radio Azattyq 103,500 tenge ($220) in that case.
Details of Turabaev's motives in filing the accusations are unknown. Some people have speculated that he has taken the action on the orders of the authorities.
The Dissemination of False Information article was added to Kazakhstan’s Administrative Offenses Code in September 2023 and has been widely criticized by human rights organizations as a tool to restrict freedom of speech.
The law does not require proof of intent to spread falsehoods, nor does it provide opportunities for corrections or warnings.
It also does not require the existence of a victim. Critics have likened the law to Russia’s legislation against "fake news," warning it is being used to silence journalists, activists, and bloggers.
Radio Azattyq’s challenges extend beyond legal battles. On January 3, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry denied or refused to renew accreditation for 36 of its employees, citing violations of the Dissemination of False Information law.
This dispute was later resolved through mediation.
The growing use of Article 456-2 to penalize media and activists has raised concerns about press freedom and the shrinking space for dissent in Kazakhstan.