Kazakhstan: Well-known Journalist’s Car Vandalized, And Her Son Threatened At Gunpoint – CFWIJ Calls On Police To Act

Location: Kazakhstan, Almaty
Date: February 5, 2023

In January, journalist Dinara Yegeubayeva’s car was set on fire outside her home, now her son is threatened by an unknown person at gunpoint. The veteran journalist has been threatened and intimidated since investigating actions of Kazakh authorities during January 2022 protests. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed by these attacks against Yegeubayeva and her family. We demand that police find and arrest both the perpetrators and those orchestrating these attacks. 

On February 5, the son of Dinara Yegeubayeva was outside his home in Almaty when an unidentified man pointed a gun at him. According to Yegeubayeva, the man ordered her son to turn off his phone and put it away. “Apparently, the instinct of self-preservation worked for my son: dropping his hands, he ran sharply. The guy did not chase after him, but simply shouted: "Don't worry, it’s not real!". He managed to hide in a residential building, the gunman eventually left. Yegeubayeva believes this attack is connected to her journalistic activities. Police are investigating the incident, but this is not the first time the journalist has been targeted by criminals. 

Series of attacks against the journalist

Yegeubayeva’s car was set on fire outside her home on January 13. No other cars in the area were damaged. “I interpret this as an attempt at my life, ” she wrote on Instagram. “Is this [what] Tokayev’s ‘new Kazakhstan’ [is supposed to look like]?”, she said referring to the country’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Police detained five suspects who confessed to the crime. They said they accepted a request published online by an anonymous person and were paid online after destroying Yegeubayeva’s car. There has been no information about those who made the payments.

Last November, police visited Yegeubayeva to say they received an anonymous call about allegedly bombing her car. The bomb threat turned out to be false but the previous day an unknown person had flattened the tires of her car and glued its wipers to the windshield.

Yegeubayeva transitions from mainstream media to independent journalism

Since the 1990s, Dinara Yegeubayeva has been a well-known journalist and TV personality in Kazakhstan. She worked in media in Russia (NTV) and Czech Republic. During the pandemic and lockdowns, Yegeubayeva began broadcasting interviews and reports on her Instagram and DINARION YouTube channels.  In January 2022 she began investigating and interviewing victims of the violent repression of peaceful protests across the country. Yegeubayeva has used her large social media reach to shed light on government actions, war in Ukraine, and social issues affecting society in Kazakhstan. Speaking about her decision to abandon her mainstream media career to report on social media, Yegeubayeva said, “someone should show an example of courage, someone should shout, because most people, to my great regret, are infantile and cowardly. I am infected by other people's examples, and it seems to me that I, too, can show such an example to some extent. I do it because I really think so, I feel that way. I can't help but do it.”

Worsening climate for media in Kazakhstan

Media in Kazakhstan have experienced a series of threats and attacks over recent months. In October 2022, staff at Orda.kz received a package with a pig’s head and a photo of its editor Gulnar Bazhkenova. She later received a headstone with her name and photo from the funeral bureau. Since January 2023 at least ten attacks against journalists have been reported. 

It is clear from the targeting of Yegeubayeva and increasing attacks on media workers in Kazakhstan that there is a worrying pattern emerging. Journalists are being intimidated and threatened for doing their jobs. The authorities in Kazakhstan need to ensure that press workers are protected and those responsible for attacks are identified and prosecuted. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls on Kazakh police to investigate these incidents properly and for the state to condemn those who harass and intimidate journalists.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.