Fast Facts RFE/RL's Radio Azattyq has been an important source of information for people in Kazakhstan for decades. In 2009, Azattyq won the prestigious 2009 Online Journalism Award for “standing in defense of citizen’s rights to seek and receive information.” Language: Kazakh, Russian Coverage: Two hours daily Established: 1953 Distribution: Radio (SW) and Internet (www.azattyq.org, www.radioazattyk.org) Locations: Prague headquarters, Almaty Staff: 9 in Prague, 14 in Almaty, 40 stringers

Media Environment

• Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index, 2010: Not Free (169th/196)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, 2009: 142nd/175
• Despite guarantees of press freedom in Kazakhstan’s constitution, privately owned and opposition media are often subject to harassment and censorship. Criticizing the president and government officials is a criminal offense and is often used as a pretext to silence journalists. Self-censorship is widespread.
• In mid-2008, Radio Azattyq's local website was inexplicably blocked for seven weeks until public appeals to the Kazakh government by RFE/RL, U.S. officials, numerous NGOs, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) envoy on media freedom led to access being restored.

Highlights

• Rado Azattyq correspondents have won numerous awards for their trenchant coverage of civil society, extremism, the energy section and other areas. Recent award highlights: Radio Azattyq won the prestigious 2009 Online Journalism Award for General Excellence in Online for “standing in defense of citizen’s rights to seek and receive information”; Radio Azattyq’s bi-lingual website won the “Award.KZ-2008” independent Kazakh Internet award in two categories – Best Mass Media and Best Web Site in State Language.
• Radio Azattyq’s investigation on torture in a Kazakh prison was mentioned by the Committee Against Torture at the United Nations in Geneva in November 2008.
• Radio Azattyq broke the news to Kazakhs in February 2006 of the murder of leading opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev and two aides. It provided unique perspective on the politically charged investigation and trial through interviews with Kazakh authorities as well as with the victims' family, legal experts, and independent observers.
• Radio Azattyq was the sole source of information when Human Rights Watch issued a statement of concern regarding jailed opposition figure Ghalymzhan Zhaqiyanov in 2005.

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Population
15.6 million (World Bank estimate, 2008)

Most Common Languages:
Russian, Kazakh, Ukranian, Uyghur, German

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Not Free, ranked 142 out of 196 (2010)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
142 out of 175 (2010)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
105 out of 178 (2010)

Global Peace Index (IES):
95 out of 149 (2010)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Kazakhstan (2010)

Amnesty International:
Kazakhstan Report (2009)