Incident
Kazakhstan: new accreditation rules let officials withdraw a journalist's pass for off-topic questions
KazakhstanRSF rank: not recorded
Kazakhstan's government adopted rules allowing journalists' accreditation to be withdrawn for six months over conduct at a news event, including asking off-topic questions, while proposing separate rules letting the foreign ministry deny foreign media accreditation over any violation of Kazakh law.123
What happened
New domestic media rules took effect in Kazakhstan on August 20, 2024, allowing a journalist's accreditation to be withdrawn for six months if they twice failed to comply with rules at news events, a category that could include asking questions considered off-topic. A day earlier, the foreign ministry had posted proposed rules that would let it deny or revoke accreditation for foreign correspondents over any violation of Kazakh law, including minor administrative offenses. The rules followed a period in which domestic journalists and correspondents for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kazakh service, Radio Azattyq, faced monthslong denials of accreditation alongside a rising number of administrative charges accusing them of spreading false information. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it emailed Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment but received no reply from either.123
The domestic rules took effect August 20, 2024, and the foreign media rules remained proposed as of the source's publication.123
What reason was given
Stated justificationNot stated in the sources reviewed; Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information and Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment on the new rules.2
What changed for reporting
Journalists with Radio Azattyq and other domestic reporters faced accreditation denials lasting months even before the new rules, restricting their access to official events and information.1
Timeline
2024
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Kassym-Jomart Tokayev | other | President of Kazakhstan |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Azattyq (RFE/RL Kazakh Service) | outlet | affected |
Sources
- CPJ concerned by Kazakhstan's restrictive new media accreditation
- Kazakh journalists worry as new media rules come into force
- CPJ Expresses Concerns Over Kazakhstan's New Media Accreditation Regulations
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kazakh service and domestic journalists faced monthslong accreditation denials and escalating false-information charges.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kazakh service (Radio Azattyq) and domestic journalists faced monthslong accreditation denials and escalating administrative "false information" charges.
CPJ concerned by Kazakhstan's restrictive new media accreditation, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2024-09-03.Claim 506, checked 2026-09-22. - CPJ's requests for comment to two Kazakh ministries went unanswered.
CPJ's emails to the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment did not receive any replies.
CPJ concerned by Kazakhstan's restrictive new media accreditation, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2024-09-03.Claim 507, checked 2026-09-22. - The new domestic rule allows accreditation to be withdrawn for six months over repeated non-compliance at news events, including off-topic questions.
journalists' accreditation to be withdrawn for six months if they twice fail to comply with rules at news events, which could potentially include asking off-topic questions
CPJ concerned by Kazakhstan's restrictive new media accreditation, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2024-09-03.Claim 569, checked 2026-09-22.