RFE/RL Says Kazakh Web Site Problems Are Cleared Up

06.13.2008

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RFE/RL believes international pressure on the government in Kazakhstan forced an end to a blockage of its Kazakh-language Web site.

“Following interventions by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Congress, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and numerous nongovernmental human rights and press advocacy organizations, people inside Kazakhstan can access the RFE/RL Web site for the first time since April 11,” the organization said . The problem lasted seven weeks.

Service was also restored to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s English-language site in Kazakhstan and RFE/RL sites in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; RFE/RL said all of those use KazTelecom as their ISP.

President Jeffrey Gedmin added in the statement, “We never did get a reply or an explanation about the service disruption from the Kazakh government. Without a doubt, it was the international response that made the difference.”

The Kazakh Service is based in Prague in the Czech Republic, and Almaty in Kazakhstan.