Kazakh Opposition Newspaper Found Guilty of Slander

ALMATY -- A court in Almaty has found an opposition newspaper guilty of slander.

A Kazakh parliament member, Romin Madinov, accused the "Taszharghan" weekly of damaging his reputation in early December by publishing an article that raised questions about his possible links to corruption cases.

Judge Ruslan Suleymanov of Medeu District Court in Almaty told "Taszharghan" to pay $25,000 to Madinov as compensation.

The newspaper has had to change its name several times and re-register after facing similar verdicts in the past.

Almat Azadi of "Taszharghan" told RFE/RL that the verdict is politically motivated and that the editors of the weekly would appeal the verdict in Almaty City Court.