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Address of the Forum of Democratic forces of Kazakhstan to the President and the Congress, all American People

Exactly 200 years ago the "fathers-founders" of the American state Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote in the Resolution of Virginia and Kentucky that "only to the press... the world is obliged for all the triumph of sense and humanity over delusions and restraints... and to this beneficent source of light - namely, press - the United States are obliged for many things that made them a free and independent nation and this is what perfected their political system up to the form that contributes so much to the prosperity of the country".

To the contrary to the USA, during the last years the authorities in Kazakhstan have been conducting the direct attack on independent mass media sources. There is a fierce campaign against them with the purpose of closing newspapers and television channels, as well as publishing houses. They are subject to court prosecution, large monetary fines, arsons, blackmail and threats, pressing from tax, customs and other bureaucratic structures. As a result of a massive attack on speech freedom and on the activity of mass media sources, 30 broadcasting companies and 15 newspapers were closed in Kazakhstan only in the last 3 years.

In the meantime, they are trying to close the three last independent newspapers "XXI Century", "Let's Start on Monday", and "The SolDat", for far-fetched reasons. Their printing can only be done abroad or in a secret place, under the threat of confiscation. The newspaper "Let's Start on Monday" is facing numerous suits, with a total amount of claim over 2 billion dollars. A few months ago a radio station "Rik" was closed because it tried to break the monopoly of the authorities for radio broadcasting on the eve of the parliamentary elections.

The system of total control over all the information areas is being gradually implemented in Kazakhstan. The last novelty was the government regulation on introduction of centralized control over telecommunication channels which means in fact the establishment of the administrative censure over all the resources of Internet.

The persecution of mass media sources and the administrative ideological monopolization of Internet together with the unfair and unjust elections of October 10 on the background, which elections that were critically appraised by the OSCE, prove doubtlessly that the antidemocratic autocratic regime rules in Kazakhstan and constantly violates human rights.

We address to the American people, the government and the Congress of the USA, a request to clarify to the public of our country whether Thomas Jefferson was right when he was saying that "our freedom depends on freedom of press, and freedom of press cannot be limited in order not be lost as a whole"?

We also ask questions:

- Whether the President who systematically violates human rights should be supported and accepted in the most free country?

- Is it necessary that the ruler who closed dozens of independent mass media sources was accepted by the leaders of the country that values freedom of speech most of all?

- How justified is a visit of the president who prevents from conducting free and independent elections in his country, to the country where free expression of will is consider a major principle of democracy?

- Can the ruler who constantly violates the OSCE rules be accepted in the most democratic country in the world?

- Should one have a dialogue with a person who introduced dictate into the rank of high politics, and who refuses to have a dialogue in his own country?

We do not believe that the US is ready to cooperate with N. Nazarbaev according to the formula "Oil in Exchange for Support of Authoritarian Regime".

We do not believe that the USA are willing to disregard the falsification of the elections and the speech freedom limitation in exchange for mineral resources of Kazakhstan.

We do not believe that "Eastern cunning", false promises and uncovered lie can deceive the United States.

We hope that the current situation in Kazakhstan with human rights will attract attention of the American public to the antidemocratic tendencies of speech freedom limitation in our country.

Co-chairmen of the Forum of Democratic Forces of Kazakhstan:

S. Abdildin, Deputy of the Mazhilis of the RK Parliament

G. Aldamzharov, People's Republican Party of Kazakhstan

B. Berturganova, Political Party "Alliance of Women Organizations in Kazakhstan"

M. Eleusizov, Ecological Movement "Tabigat"

E. Zhovtis, Laureate of the International Prize of the US and EC for Contribution to the Development of Democracy and Civil Society in Kazakhstan

M. Ismailov, Work Movement of Kazakstan

A. Kozhakhmetov, Coordinator of the Forum of Democratic Forces of Kazakhstan

S. Kuttykadam, Movement "Orleu"

N. Masanov, Coordinator of the Forum of Democratic Forces of Kazakhstan

I. Savostina, Movement "Generation"

R. Taukina, Association of Independent Electronic Mass Media Sources in the Central Asia

Received by e-mail, 8 December 1999