Kazakh journalist claimed about provocation targeting TV channel she ran

Zhanara Akhmet, journalist, who lives in Ukraine fleeing Kazakhstan prosecution, told IMI the “16/12” oppositional Kazakh news TV channel she ran was target of a provocation. As to her, today, the police came to the apartment where the journalists were working for the “16/12” channel live. The TV editorial office is based in this apartment too. The police came after someone called and said the building would be mined and that apartment would be at the origin of the danger. “Today, in Kazakhstan, we held a rally, today it was the leading party congress and just before this congress we had launched a great rally around all the country. Each time, we organize such events, they make us big problems, they make it by means of secret services of Kazakhstan. This time, they organized a would-be anonymous call to the police, and reacting to this call the police unit came here. Two policemen came, they went to the knock at the door of our journalists. They knocked at the door, but we did not open”, Zhanara Akhmet told. The journalist said the incident was due to her journalistic activity. As she said this was a way to get access to the information of the editorial office and the political force “Kazakhstan’s democratic choice” that she represents. “We launched the news service of “Kazakhstan’s democratic choice”, which is opposition institution. Within this institution, I deal not only with journalism, but with politics too. We have some group of journalists who are refugees from Kazakhstan and not only. We united our efforts and we come out the news at the web-site edition “16/12”, she said. “This was a provocation made by the secret services of Kazakhstan. I know theywant to get access to the information, to our HQ, materials. “We don’t know what is will be further, so we raised a hue and cry and we made it public through the social network”, Zhanara Akhemt told. As IMI reported before, journalist and blogger from Kazakhstan was detained on October 21 due to being on Interpol wanted list. She was forced to escape to Ukraine from Kazakhstan in March of 2017. She is accused of fraud, but she claims her case was fabricated due to her criticism of Kazakhstan authorities. In the District administrative court of Kyiv city, Zhanara Akhmet lost her case against the State Migration Service in Kyivska oblast, which denied her the status of a political refugee. On November 8, 2017, the Court of Appeal of Kyiv Oblast issued the resolution of Kyevo-Sviatoshynskyi district court of Kyivska region on temporary arrest of journalist Zhanara Akhmet from Kazakhstan illegal. On July 31st 2018, Appeal court in Kyiv dismissed the decision of the District administrative court in Kyiv on denial to appeal against the decision to accord a refugee status to Zhanara Akhmet. On September 28, 2018, the Supreme court of Ukraine obliged the State migration service to accord the status of refugee to Zhanara Akhmet.