The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based press freedom watchdog has criticized Kazakhstan for effectively banning an opposition newspaper, saying the move violated the core values of Europe's main democracy watchdog, chaired by Kazakhstan this year. Distribution of the main opposition Respublika newspaper was halted in February after a court ruled a story published by the paper last year had triggered a bank run on deposits of Kazakhstan's BTA Bank. The group released a statement on late Tuesday (March 09, 2010), described the ruling as "shameful." In another case, the OSCE has also criticized Kazakhstan for restrictive media laws and demanded it loosen its grip on the press.(Reuters)
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