Kazakhstan journalists addressed Kazakhstan Parliament

Almaty. October 1. Kazakhstan Today - The journalists of Kazakhstan have addressed the deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan in connection with preparation of amendments to the mass media legislation. Tamara Kaleeva, the president of the fund of protection of freedom of speech Adil soz and the chairman of the board of the Union of journalists of Kazakhstan Seytkazy Matayev informed at the press conference in Almaty, the agency reports.

"The journalist's nongovernmental organizations of Kazakhstan express concern regarding the last actions of the enforcement authorities on reforming the mass media legislation," the address of the journalist's organizations of Kazakhstan to the deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

According to T. Kaleeva, "the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan initiated to introduce amendments to the legislation concerning defamation." "The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan suggests to make journalists responsible for distribution of defaming information mentioning private life," she said, having emphasized that, "thus, suggesting to deprive the society of the right to know about abuses and immoral behavior of public officials."

The President of Adil Soz noted, "civil disputes on humiliation of honor, dignity and reputation are not in the competence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

In his turn, S. Matayev stated that those amendments, which the Minister of Culture and Information Yermukhamet Yertysbayev announced at the session of the OSCE permanent council, having named them liberal, "do not solve today's problems of mass media and do not promote strengthening of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression."

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