New Kazakh Newspaper Confiscated By Authorities

ALMATY -- Authorities in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, have confiscated the first issue of a new newspaper focusing on the country's political opposition.

Madia Torebaeva, a journalist with "Pravdivaya gazeta" ("The Truthful Newspaper"), told RFE/RL that all 1,200 copies of the paper were seized by officers from the city's Interior Policies Department on April 24.

She said documents authorizing the confiscation stated that the newspaper failed to clearly show exact publication dates in registration documents.

The first issue included excerpts from the book of a leading opposition figure who died under mysterious circumstances, and an interview with the head of the country's Communist Party.

The next issue is planned for next month.

Kazakh authorities banned dozens of opposition and independent media outlets in December for carrying what officials deemed "extremist content."