DUVANOV FORMALLY CHARGED, SUPPORTERS WORRY ABOUT JOURNALIST’S DETERIORATING CONDITION
11/07/02

Prosecutors in Kazakhstan formally filed rape charges November 7 against a leading independent journalist, whose supporters insist he is the victim of a government conspiracy to prevent him from discussing allegedly corrupt administration practices. The journalist, Sergei Duvanov, is continuing a hunger strike that has left him unable to walk or stand. According to local media, officials have decided to force feed Duvanov.

Duvanov stands accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. He denies the charge and maintains that he was drugged and set-up by government operatives as retribution for his work to expose government corruption. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives]. "We continue to believe the charges are fabricated," said Charles Both, a member of Duvanov’s legal defense team.

Since October 29, Duvanov has been on a hunger strike. In a letter smuggled out of his detention center, Duvanov indicated that in defending his honor, he is willing to carry on with the hunger strike until death. "I am innocent and pure in front of God and in front of my own dignity," he said in the letter, according to a report by Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe.

"It’s at the point where we are very, very concerned about his welfare," Both said, referring to the state of Duvanov’s health.

"If there were a transparent and fair investigation and the expectation of a fair trial, he [Duvanov] would not have to resort to it [the hunger strike]," Both added. "Subject him to a fair trial, and I’m sure he’d be exonerated."

The US government has expressed concern about the Duvanov case. In a November 6 statement, the State Department noted that independent journalists had experienced "systematic harassment" by the government, and termed the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s arrest "highly suspicious." He was taken into custody only hours after he was scheduled to leave for the United States for several speaking engagements, including an appearance at the Open Society Institute, which is affiliated with EurasiaNet.

"It is the responsibility of the government of Kazakhstan to ensure the country’s independent journalists are able to do their job in an atmosphere free from violence and intimidation," the State Department statement said.

In Almaty, several Duvanov supporters announced that they would start symbolic, solidarity hunger strikes. At the same time, Amirzhan Kosanov, a leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party, announced political protests were being planned. He did not elaborate, according to a report by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency November 6.

Yevgeny Zhovtis – the head of the Kazakhstan office of the International Bureau for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, who is leading Duvanov’s legal defense – described Duvanov as "very weak," Interfax-Kazakhstan said. Zhovtis added that officials had decided to attempt to force feed the journalist intravenously.

Meanwhile, a Kazakhstani web site – Nomad – published photos that purportedly depict Duvanov engaged in a sexual encounter with an unidentified woman. Both alleged the photos were part of an official campaign to damage Duvanov’s image. "The government is hell-bent on discrediting him," Both said.

Email this article | Printer-Friendly Version
Posted November 7, 2002 © Eurasianet
http://www.eurasianet.org

	The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Open Society Institute and are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.