Kazakh authorities forced owner of private newspaper to dismiss editor

The editor-in-chief of the Kazakh-language newspaper “Zhas Alash”, Inga Imanbay, was fired by the owner of the publication office at the request of the authorities. This was reported by Imanbay, explaining that the owner (the family of Altynbek Sarsenbaev, the opposition figure killed in February 2006) had no other choice.

It should be noted that 31-year-old Inga Imanbay was appointed to the post of editor-in-chief of the oldest Kazakh-language newspaper “Zhas Alash” on January 8, 2020. The publication staff categorically disagreed with the decision of the administration and refused to release the next issue of the newspaper.

Despite problems with the team, Imanbay abruptly changed the editorial policy. The newspaper began to publish sharp, critical materials about the first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev and members of his family.

“The fact that I am the wife of Zhanbolat Mamay caused a powerful pressure by authorities on the family of Altynbek Sarsenbayuly.

On Thursday I had a conversation with Saltanat Atusheva (the founder of the publication, the widow of Altynbek Sarsenbaev) and Nurlan Sarsenbay (his nephew). They told me that they opened a criminal case against a close relative of Sarsenbaev’s family and threatened to close him if they did not fulfill one condition: to remove me from the post of chief editor,” said Imanbay.

It should be clarified that the husband of Inga Imanbay, the journalist Zhanbolat Mamay, previously headed the newspaper “Sayasi kalam – Tribuna”, which has been closed. In 2017, Mamay was sentenced to three years of restriction of freedom with a ban on journalism for a similar period. He was found guilty of complicity with the former head of BTA Bank, Mukhtar Ablyazov, in laundering part of the funds stolen at BTA bank under the guise of conducting legal financial transactions through the newspaper “Sayasi kalam – Tribuna”.

Mamay did not admit the charges. According to the journalist and his supporters, these accusations were far-fetched. In autumn of 2019, Mamay announced the creation of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan (DPK). Inga Imanbay became a member of the organizing committee for the creation of the party. In December, the DPK submitted documents for registration to the justice authorities. On February 22, it was planned to hold a constituent congress of the DPK. However, on February 19, it became known that the congress was canceled because the party’s delegates in the regions were pressured by the authorities. In this regard, the administration of the DPK called on its supporters to come out on February 22 at a rally in Almaty. On the evening of February 21, Zhanbolat Mamay was detained.

It should be noted that immediately after her appointment to the post of chief editor of “Zhas Alash”, Inga Imanbay stated that the newspaper had nothing to do with the DPK.

“No one will allow the newspaper to become party. The editorial position is the same in relation to all organizations, movements, citizens of Kazakhstan. The newspaper was not sold to anyone. The administration of “Zhas Alash” invited me there. The Democratic Party is already actively working on the Internet, promoting its ideas through social networks. And the newspaper “Zhas Alash” has always provided objective information and will work like that,” Imanbay wrote in social networks.

“On Thursday (February 21), generals of one department came to them (to the Sarsenbaevs) to demand either my dismissal on the same day, or threatened to arrest their relative. As the generals admitted, Inga Imanbay, due to the fact that she is the wife of Mamay, should not be the editor of the newspaper. All arguments, that Zhanbolat has no relation to the newspaper, were rejected. They demanded to dismiss me, and certainly before February 22,” said Imanbay.

According to her, the founder of the publication office, Saltanat Atusheva, chose the lesser of two evils, she exchanged the chief editor for a relative’s freedom.

“And I cannot blame her for that. I do not blame Saltanat Atusheva for anything, she did everything she could to leave me as the newspaper’s administration. But the authorities put powerful pressure on her and forced her to do so. It only remains to state that now “Zhas Alash” is completely under the control of the authorities,” Imanbay sums up.

It should be noted that Inga Imanbay is also an employee of the Information and Monitoring Center of the Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights.