Court Says Kazakh Opposition Party Must Be Dissolved

9 February 2005 -- A Kazakh opposition party today lost its legal battle against a court-ordered ban.

A city court in the Kazakh commerical capital Almaty upheld an earlier ruling that the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan party must be dissolved because it had breached national security laws.

The ruling comes after a series of appeals.

Kazakh opposition leaders have said they fear the ban on the party represents a threat to all Kazakh opposition parties.

(Reuters)