10 July 2002
WELL KNOWN INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST UNDER ATTACK
Sergey Duvanov, a well known independent journalist, was interrogated by Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) in Almaty on 9 July. The KNB also searched Duvanov's office and his apartment and confiscated documents. During three-hour interrogation, Duvanov was questioned about an article entitled "The Silence of the Lambs" he wrote for www.kub.kz web-page in May. The article was about personal accounts at Swiss banks allegedly either owned or controlled by President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his associates. Duvanov said that he is not frightened of anything and is ready to prove every statement in his article in any court. He added that bank accounts belonging to Nursutan Nazarbayev and members of his family do exist.
ANOTHER NEWSPAPER UNDER PRESSURE IN WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN
Zhumabay Dospanov, who heads the Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan's branch in Atyrau, Western Kazakhstan and is also Chief Editor of independent newspaper "Altyn Orda," told RFE/RL on 10 July that on July 8 local police forced their way into his paper's offices and confiscated all its equipment. Dospanov said the police had a warrant signed by the local prosecutor which stipulated only that the current issue of the newspaper should be confiscated.
On 9 July, policemen came to Dospanov's apartment and confiscated a PC which he used at home. Dospanov estimated the value of the confiscated equipment at over $5,000. He says that the reprisals were politically motivated.
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO KAZAKHSTAN HOLDS TALKS WITH KAZAKH PRESIDENT.
U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Larry Napper held talks with President Nazarbayev on July 10. Napper told journalists after the talks that they discussed U.S. - Kazakh cooperation in the fight against international terrorism. He said Kazakh-American relations have been developing on a very high level and he expressed gratitude to Nazarbayev on behalf of the U.S. government for Kazakhstan's support of the U.S.-led international efforts against terrorism.
Napper said that additional agreements on further cooperation between Astana and Washington will be signed at Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry later on 10 July. A special agreement on the use of Almaty International airport by U.S. Navy forces for emergency landings and re-fuelling is also expected to be signed.