Kazakhstan may reform Media Libel Laws says Government Official

    By James Kilner, Astana
    International lobby groups have criticized the Kazakh government's attitude towards the media in the past but Nurai Urazov, the Kazakh deputy communications minister, said the country was moving towards an increasingly free press.
    "Contrary to some claims Kazakhstan has constantly moved towards the liberalization of the mass media," Mr Urazov said in comments reported by the twice weekly Kazakhstan newspaper Vremya on Wednesday.
    "Kazakhstan has committed itself by 2014, this is coming soon, to decriminalising libel and insults in the media."
    Kyrgyzstan won international praise earlier this year when it decriminalised libel. Kazakhstan's government has previously pledged to reform repressive libel laws although it has yet to act on these pledges.
    Activists have said they believe the libel law is often used to silence investigative reporting, the Telegraph (UK) reports.