14.11.2023
Дата публикации
As part of the first national Internet Governance Forum in Kazakhstan, a thematic session was held dedicated to the issue of Internet shutdowns, their consequences and legislation regarding Internet accessibility.
The discussion at this session of Qazaqstan IGF was opened by Diana Okremova, co-founder of the Legal Media Center PF, presenting the topic of access to information during an emergency:
“Even in peacetime, any restriction of information is perceived by people with distrust; if a government agency is hiding something, then doubts arise about its honesty. And if this happens during an emergency, then people immediately find themselves in an information vacuum, and panic arises.”
“Even in peacetime, any restriction of information is perceived by people with distrust; if a government agency is hiding something, then doubts arise about its honesty. And if this happens during an emergency, then people immediately find themselves in an information vacuum, and panic arises.”
During the Internet shutdown in January 2022, journalists tried to obtain information in various ways, but they were detained, summoned for questioning, and media websites were restricted. What little information was available included presidential addresses, curfew announcements, and liability warnings for terrorism, extremism, etc. As a result of the fact that many felt a lack of information, people spread unverified information and, as a result, 13 criminal cases were opened on fake reports about the January events.
The next speaker, Roman Reimer, lawyer, co-founder of the Erkindik Kanaty Foundation, recalled that during his speech with a report on the January events in the Majilis, Prosecutor General Berik Asylov said that the absolute majority of those killed during the January events violated the state of emergency.
“This to some extent shows that there were a lot of casualties among the civilian population, who had no idea that some akimats were taking over there,” Roman emphasized.
The speaker also spoke about how the right to a fair trial was exercised during the January events, during the state of emergency.
According to the law, the state of emergency does not allow restrictions on the right of access to a fair trial. However, a large number of people who went out only to peaceful rallies were convicted under the Code of Administrative Offenses, and in an assembly line manner, although the legislation then allowed no rush.
“Our authorities were impatient to conduct these trials precisely during the shutdown – on January 5, 6 and 7. The Civil Procedure Code and the Criminal Procedure Code allow, during a state of emergency that does not allow trials to be carried out, to simply postpone these cases. Instead, authorities began searching through cameras for people at peaceful assemblies. Significant people who were able to be identified began to be seized and trials were held in police stations,” Roman reports.
In other words, departmental bodies conducted so-called “mobile courts.” At the same time, mobile courts are not regulated in any way by any of the regulatory legal acts.
The third speaker at the session was Vikram Ruzakhunov, a musician from Kyrgyzstan, a special guest of the panel session, who suffered during the January events. Vikram shared the tragic story that happened to him in those days, and also elaborated on the topic of how the Internet shutdown affects human rights, and especially the right to life.
“I became the target of propaganda when I was identified as one of 20,000 terrorists and shown in a widely circulated video. This can happen to anyone. If it weren’t for my musical activity, my life could have ended very sadly; the doctors then told me that a couple more blows would have been fatal.”
At the same time, such propaganda attempts most clearly demonstrate the danger of Internet shutdowns. Indeed, in conditions of an information vacuum, when essentially the only government source of information reports about terrorists in the country and shows a detained “terrorist,” the population will definitely believe in this picture. At the same time, as Vikram’s situation showed, this same “terrorist” was previously tortured so that he would say everything that the security forces required of him for the desired picture.
“This is all a very illustrative example of how a shutdown can affect the life of not only one person, but the entire nation. After all, if there had been the Internet then, then everything could have turned out differently, there would have been a different outcome of events regarding Kantar.”
When Vikram was detained at a checkpoint in the village of Targap (Almaty region), his belongings were confiscated without any inventory under the pretext that an anti-terrorist operation was being carried out. But, as Vikram shares, with the internet turned off, he could not know about any operation.
The only government agency that admitted that they were involved in Internet shutdowns was the National Security Committee.
Alena Koshkina, head of the media literacy program at the International Center for Journalism MediaNet, told Qazaqstan IGF participants about the launched information campaign against shutdowns in Kazakhstan.
Alena also shared a presentation that summarizes what we know today about past events and Internet restrictions:
Shutdown in Kazakhstan: what happened?
- Total internet shutdown;
- Information about events in the country only through state television;
- Suspension of business, banks and other structures;
- Murder and torture of people;
- Looting and chaos.
- Restricting the Internet is a necessary measure to protect national security and restore public order, since terrorists use the Internet to coordinate further actions.
- The Internet is blocked to suppress protests, control public opinion and stop attempts to disseminate information about illegal actions;
- Small and medium-sized businesses are in decline, and the population has no sense of security.
- Start educating the population about the real impact of shutdowns;
- Pay attention to disseminating information in the Kazakh language;
- Creation of alternative communication methods (for example, mesh systems) and training in their use;
- Participation in the campaign against Internet shutdowns (shutdown.kz), by signing a petition, disseminating information about the campaign on your channels, submitting an application to participate in a strategic trial.
In 2016, the international coalition of human rights organizations #KeepItOn was launched. The coalition strives to prevent internet shutdowns around the world, monitors and documents shutdowns, utilizes strategic litigation capabilities, and offers grants and emergency relief funds.
The Access Now organization in its reports notes a trend that shutdowns of varying intensity are very popular in the Central Asian region. By May 2023, 80 internet outages had been recorded in 21 countries around the world. It is also important to note that 48 of these shutdowns were directly related to violations of human rights and freedoms.
KeepItOn recommendations:
- International groups and coalitions must publicly condemn the practice of shutdowns.
- Telecommunications companies should refrain from providing governments with equipment that facilitates internet shutdowns and digital rights violations.
- Civil society organizations must be equipped with the necessary resources to continue monitoring internet shutdowns.
- Internet service providers must report and legally challenge government shutdown orders.
Take part in the campaign against internet shutdowns in Kazakhstan - information on the website shutdown.kz.
