Fact-Check training of Alexander Gorokhovsky was interrupted by police in Uralsk

On September 15, 2018, approximately at 12:00 in Uralsk police officers interrupted the fact-check training where was an Ukrainian journalist Alexander Gorokhovsky. Migration card was seized from Alexander Gorokhovskiy and he denounced with illegal labour activity on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The court is scheduled for Monday, September 17.

The training which started on September 14 was arranged by journalist Lukpan Akhmediyarov. It is the recently launched “School of Journalism” project on the professional preparation of journalists. As Lukpan says, there is no faculty of journalism in Western Kazakhstan and its project is intended to correct the situation with the professional training of personnel in the region.        

According to the police, they received a message to number 102 from a citizen who introduced himself as Talgat Katauov. We attach a video from the place of incident, shot by Lukpan Akhmedyarov.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kazakhstan reacted and gave its short commentary, the consul has already contacted Alexander. A lawyer is appointed for protection. 

This is not the first case in Western Kazakhstan when police trying to block Lukpan Akhmediarov activities. The editorial staff continues to monitor the incident.

Context

Alexander Gorokhovsky is the editor-in-chief of the project Bez Brehni and a partner of our project. He is an author of the practical guide on fact-check, translated in 2017 into Russian and Kazakh languages, in 2018 — into Tajic language. In his book, Alexander tells in detail about the practice and methodology of fact-check and countering misinformation in the modern media.

Lukpan Akhmedyarov is a reporter for the weekly Uralskaya Nedelya in Kazakhstan and he is the 2012 winner of the Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism. Lukpan is well known for his investigative coverage of corruption and human rights abuses as well as his criticism of the current regime. He has been the target of threats and harassment by the police. On April 19, 2012, Akhmedyarov was the victim of a murder attempt outside his apartment building in the city of Uralsk. Two masked individuals attacked him, hitting him on the back of the head, stabbing him multiple times and shooting him with an air-pistol. As a result, Akhmedyarov was hospitalized for a month and treated for a head injury, eight stab wounds to the lung, kidneys, and stomach, and gun pellet injuries.

Журналист, редактор. Филолог-славист. Соавтор и составитель ряда работ по журналистике и языку вражды. Работал журналистом и редактором в различных научно-популярных, развлекательных и общественно-политических изданиях Казахстана. Главный редактор проекта «Фактчек в Казахстане» с 2017 по 2022 год. Медиатренер, создатель образовательного проекта Factcheck.Academy

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