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Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General's Office has recently reclassified official inquiries from the KazTAG news agency، changing their designation from "media requests" to "petitions." This alteration has also led to an extension of the deadlines for providing responses، raising concerns about potential restrictions on the media's right to access information.

Inquiries Reclassified as Petitions

An inspector from the Prosecutor General's office، Zhanyl Bekzhan، modified the nature of two official inquiries submitted by KazTAG. The first inquiry، which concerned the alleged unlawful detention of Almasbek Sadirbay، chairman of the livestock breeders' association، was downgraded from a "media request" to a "petition." Consequently، the response deadline was pushed back from June 1st to June 15th.

This initial inquiry، sent on May 22nd، sought confirmation or denial of a statement made on Facebook by lawyer Anar Kussainova. The statement alleged that Almasbek Sadirbay had been held in custody since March 19th without proper authorization.

Second Inquiry Also Reclassified

A second inquiry from KazTAG underwent similar changes. This request pertained to the death of Bauyrzhan Dosetuly Sortov، who passed away in an Almaty police department، and the accusations made by his relatives against the police. Although initially registered as a "media request،" this inquiry was also reclassified as a "petition،" with its response deadline extended from June 1st to June 15th.

KazTAG has expressed disagreement with these changes، viewing them as a violation of the "Law and Order" principle. The news agency is urging the Prosecutor General's Office to respond to both inquiries within the original timeframe، by June 1st.

This development highlights ongoing tensions regarding information access for the media in Kazakhstan.