Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed into law a bill on mass media that will hinder journalists from getting comments from officials and interviews, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.
Domestic and international rights groups and media experts have expressed concerns over the new law, saying it will compromise independent journalism and lead to self-censorship in the Central Asian country.
According to the law Tokayev signed on June 20, all Internet resources are now considered media outlets.
Among other things, the law introduces a three-year period to file lawsuits over materials published in the media, as well as new regulations for the registration of media outlets.
By 2027, weekly broadcasting in the Kazakh language will be increased from 50 percent to 60 percent, while rebroadcasting of foreign programs will be cut to 10 percent from 20 percent.
Currently 50 percent of programs broadcast on television and radio are in Russian.
The Culture and Information Ministry will monitor media programs “to prevent damaging effects on society’s moral development, as well as disruption of the universally humane, national, cultural, and family values.”
