Kazakh comedian says authorities can’t take a joke

On July 26, a court in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, sentenced 31-year-old Alexander MerkurA stand-up comedian was detained for 10 days on charges of “minor hooliganism” for using obscene language during a show in June, another example of the authorities’ harsh crackdown on free speech in Kazakhstan.

Merkur, who pleaded guilty, often touched on social issues in his performances. At a June concert, for example, he joked that “Kazakhstan is new, poverty is old,” presumably referring to “Zhana Kazakhstan,” a slogan that translates to “New Kazakhstan” and is often used by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. This time, it was more than just a laugh, and appeared to have provoked a response from authorities, who prosecuted him for “obscene” words he used elsewhere in his performance.

March 2023 Amendment Kazakhstan’s administrative code has increased penalties for using obscene language in public.

in May interview On the Kazakhstan Podcast, Mekul commented that “when a comedian (or anyone else) goes to jail for what they say, it’s bad.” Governing Law arrive Targeting critical comedians And the artist, who said he did not expect (Kazakh authorities) to target him when he wrote the play, added that “socially and politically important issues” could best be addressed by a good comedian.

Mekul is not the only comedian targeted by Kazakh authorities for hooliganism. In May, an Almaty court sentenced another stand-up comedian Nuraskan BaskozhayevBaskozhayev also admitted to the crime, saying he had joked about corruption in Kazakhstan and made a statement about the massive flood Earlier this year, widespread unrest in the north of the country displaced at least 120,000 people.

The targeting of the comedian appears to be part of a broader crackdown on free speech in Kazakhstan. Sentencing Duman Mukhammedkarim, a journalist and activist who has been in pretrial detention since June 2023, was sentenced to seven years in prison for “financing extremist activities” and “participating in the activities of a banned extremist organization.” He has criticized the government many times in his work.

The people of Kazakhstan should be able to express critical opinions and comments, especially through satire, without fear of reprisal. Freedom of expression is not absolute, but international human rights law sets clear limits on the legitimate measures governments can take to regulate it. Kazakhstan’s actions have far exceeded those limits, and it is long past time for them to be respected.