Kazakh president's daughter leads new media-law effort

Darigha Nazarbaeva, who heads the Congress of Journalists of Kazakhstan, told a news conference on 3 September that the Congress's executive committee is developing a new draft law on the media, "Kazakhstan Today" reported.

Nazarbaeva said the congress's draft law is not intended to replace the draft law recently submitted by Information Minister Altynbek Sarsenbaev (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 August 2004); rather, it will be published in the media so that "all of the parties involved can discuss the draft law.

"The congress is now taking a brief break from its work on the draft law, she explained.

Nazarbaeva went on to detail three key issues with which a new draft law on media must deal: publicizing information about the work of judges, ensuring that journalists have access to information, and forcing officials to respond to critical materials that appear in the media.

The daughter of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Nazarbaeva is also the head of the Khabar Agency and the leader of the pro-presidential Asar party.

RFE/RL
08 Sep 2004