Sergei Duvanov

Template:BLP sources Sergei Duvanov (born 1953) is a prominent Kazakhstani journalist who, in 2002, wrote articles that claimed President Nursultan Nazarbayev and several other Kazakh politicians had illicit Swiss bank accounts containing millions of U.S.' dollars. The scandal was labeled "Kazakhgate".<ref name=USDOJ>What's The Truth About Kazakhstan? CBS News</ref>

Controversy

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice investigated Kazakhgate.<ref name=USDOJ/> Duvanov was arrested in October 2002 at his datcha outside Almaty and accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. The arrest occurred one day before he was going to visit the United States to speak about Kazakhstan's human rights situation.<ref name=RAPE>Supporters of detained Kazakhstani journalist denounce incident as government set-up EurasiaNet</ref> In January, 2003 he was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Among others, the International League for Human Rights (ILHR), a New York-based human right watchdog, condemned the Kazakhstani government's persecution of Sergei Duvanov. On the initiative of its Central Asia Project Manager Peter Zalmayev, ILHR awarded Duvanov (in absentia) its annual human rights award at a ceremony held at the United Nations on December 9, 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 15 January 2004, he is under a prison regime which allows him to go to work and live at home. However, Duvanov is not allowed to go to public places (a notion undetermined by Kazakh law).<ref>Journalist and human rights activist Sergei Duvanov released on probation</ref> Duvanov, and the opposition, claim that the case was politically motivated.<ref name=RAPE/> On January 15, 2004, Duvanov was released on probation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Human rights in Kazakhstan