Kazakh Tries, Fails To Give Authorities The Finger
Takhirzhan Akhmetov has sought desperately to draw attention to the fact that a former partner who he says cut him out of a successful business venture has never compensated him in line with a court verdict handed down years ago.
He blames the defendant, but also the Kazakh legal system for not ensuring that the judgment was ever paid.
Last year, he cut off the tip of his little finger and tried to hand it to an OSCE representative in Kazakhstan.
He threatened to strike again in February. But this month, he convened a press conference at which he vowed to cut off his ring finger.
We advise readers that his video of that event, from RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, contains graphic scenes and is not for the faint of heart. But if it helps to know, Akhmetov failed in his attempt to sever the finger completely.
