Lyazzat Asanova

Affiliated media: Aimak Tynysy newspaper, Editor

Incident date: November 18, 2020

Attack type:

• Court trial

Who attacked: Non-authorities

Source: KIBHR – Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law

Location: Kazakhstan, Turkistan Region, Lenger

Additional information:

A trial has begun against Lyazzat Asanova, editor of the Aimak Tynysy regional newspaper. She is charged with two criminal articles, fraud and extortion. According to the prosecution, Asanova, taking advantage of her position, forced school principals to subscribe to the newspaper in which she worked, and also demanded that the head of the district education department declare her the winner in public procurement. In both cases, the victims reported threats of spreading «defamatory information» via social media.