Astana: A Kazakh court has closed the opposition TV channel K-Plus and blocked its online resources, the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech Adil Soz said.
The ban is linked to the case of Kazakh opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov who was charged with “inciting social hatred” and sentenced to seven and a half years behind bars for his role in the Zhanaozen oil-workers’ protest last year.
Two other opposition leaders, Akzhanat Aminov and Serik Sapargali, each received three-year suspended sentences. In total 37 people have gone on trial following the Zhanaozen protests, charged with crimes ranging from arson and theft to violence against members of the public and officials.
At least 16 people were been killed and 100 injured in Zhanaozen after Kazakh police dispersed an oil workers’ protest in the town in December 2011.
