In early 2008 the price of grain in Kazakhstan was rising, and journalist Almas Kusherbaev wrote an article in a local newspaper in which he judged the reason was that producers could get a better return abroad than at home. His argument was supported by data and analysis. The article also mentioned in this connection a company, Agrocentr, which controls a major part of the grain market and which is headed by a senator, Romin Madinov. In August that year Madinov sued Kuzerbaev for libel, demanding damages of 300 million tenge (about US$2.5 million) and was awarded US$250 000. Through the local office of the UNDP, Kusherbaev approached the MLDI, which quickly found a lawyer to represent him. The case is currently before the UN Human Rights Committee.
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We’re recruiting: Legal Officer
About Media Defence Media Defence is a charity that helps media to defend their rights. We support independent media, journalists and citizen journalists who are under legal threat by making sure that lawyers are available to defend them. We engage in strategic litigation to improve the regulatory environment for media freedom, make grants to organisations […]
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Our Journalist Impact Survey 2022
“If i didn’t have Media Defence’s support, I would have been condemned .” – Journalist supported by Media Defence in 2022. In 2022, we carried out our sixth annual Journalist Impact Survey to look at the longer-term impact of our support to journalists. We designed our Journalist Impact Survey to understand the quality of our […]