Kazakhstani investigative and sports journalist Mikhail Kozachkov detained in jail: AIPS ask for his immediate release
LAUSANNE, January 24, 2022 – Kazakhstani investigative journalist Mikhail Kozachkov – also a sports journalist in his career for media including Sovetsky Sport (Russia), UEFA.com, Prosport, Liter, and Gazeta.kz – has been arrested and detained in jail from December 18, 2022. Officers from Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) arrested him in the southern city of Almaty. In a statement published on Telegram on December 18, 2022, FMA accused Kozachkov of taking bribes from an organized crime group and, alongside an acquaintance of his, of receiving 52 million tenges (US$111,200) from the criminal group to obtain and publish information discrediting several of its victims, being also affiliated in his information network with an assistant of the brother of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The International Sport Press Association strongly condemn this fake news and accusations related to Mikhail Kozachkov and ask for his immediate release and for a quick solution in order to solve the matter as soon as possible.
Mikhail is a notorious investigative journalist in Kazakhstan, a reporter for Vremya newspaper and author of the Telegram channel Kozachkoff offside.
(from Aips newsletter)