All Over the Globe

Journalist of �Vremya� suffered for his articles

But publications will be continued

ALMATY, June 24

(THE GLOBE)

�I think that the materials about the situation in the paid parking lots, which was the reason for beating of our journalist will be continued to be published,� the deputy of the chief editor of �Vremya� newspaper announced to THE GLOBE on June 24.

According to this newspaper, in the evening on June 23, Yevgeny Kosenko was taken by unidentified people to the suburbs and was beaten.

According to �Vremya�, the main reason of the incident was the resentment of groups controlling the paid parking lots in Almaty with the journalist�s articles about the payment system at the parking lots.

Underlying the newspaper�s suspicions is the fact that Yevgeny Kosenko was enticed from his house under the pretence of receiving additional information on this theme. Further, when the journalist was beaten he was warned not to publish any other materials regarding the criminal situation at the parking lots.

Konstantin Kabakov said that Mr. Kosenko spent the night with the legal authorities to provide information about the assault.

The deputy of the chief editor of �Vremya� emphasised that the newspaper was starting its own investigation.

The Closure of an Inconvenient Newspaper

Mikhail SERGEEV

ALMATY, June 24

(THE GLOBE)

�The closure of our newspaper means a blow aimed at the President who is conducting anticorruption policy�, said Valeria Marchenko, editor-in-chief of Almaty based �Nachnem s ponedelnika� newspaper.

According to Mrs. Marchenko, today Mr. Smagulov, chairman of the Almaty arbitration court, announced the arrest of the bank account of the newspaper and so compelled it to close.

The reason for the closure of the newspaper, she said, became the fact that the newspaper is currently investigating several big corruption cases as well as the fact that it applied to the President and to the Procurator General and provided them with a list of concrete names of corruptive officials of law enforcement organs.

Marchenko said that the closure of the newspaper can be evaluated as an answer of those very officials on the newspaper�s critical publications.

She said that Smagulov�s decision was groundless and unlawful, and that the newspaper intended to apply to a higher court.

�We will also have to apply to the head of the state and to the international community with the request to support the independent press and put an end to the arbitrary rule of the officials�, she added.