Head of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan is signed to house arrest

Almaty. February 24. Silkroadnews - The Chairman of the Board of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan Seitkazy Matayev is placed under house arrest, KazTAG reports.
According to Almaty judge, “the request by the head of investigation department under the anti-corruption agency on measure of restraint for Matayev Seitkazy Beysengazievich in the form of house arrest will be satisfied”.
    She also added S. Matayev is prohibited from communicating with any other persons, including communication via Internet and telephone, except for his family members and lawyers. Place of residence of S. Matayev is to be taken in charge.
Earlier, the prosecutor called on the house arrest for S. Matayev.
Lawyer of S. Matayev Andrei Petrov, asked the court to release his client on bail.
As reported, on February 22, 2016, the Almaty department of the national anti-corruption agency detained S. Matayev on charge in suspicion of embezzlement of budget funds and tax evasion on large scale.
Meanwhile S. Matayev said he considers the actions by the national anti-corruption agency as illegal.
“We consider these illegal actions by the anti-corruption agency as a public authority’s attempt to put pressure on non-governmental associations and mass-media, obstruction of journalism, restriction of freedom of expression, unimpeded use and distribution of information,” - said a statement by Seitkazy and Aset Matayevs.
The journalistic community expressed their concern with the statement by the anticorruption agency as S. Matayev got declared a criminal before the court hearings.
In their appeal on the detention of the head of the Union of Journalists nearly 400 well-known journalists of the country called the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan to “take the investigation of this case under a special control and ensure maximum openness and transparency of the investigation”.
In addition, the President of the International Kazakh PEN-Club Bigeldy Gabdullin and president of the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” Tamara Kaleyeva appealed to the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev in connection with S. Matayev detention.
The International Press Institute urged Kazakhstan to release the chairman of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan without delay.