The Office of the Akim of Shymkent refused to answer journalists' requests for information about the activities of the akim's advisers. They cited the fact that the media outlet did not provide a document confirming accreditation.
"Our editorial team submitted a request to the Shymkent Akimat on an official letterhead with a stamp and signature, including the media outlet's registration number, regarding the activities of the akim's advisers", writes the editorial team of «Shishkin_like».
Journalists published the response from the Shymkent Akimat, represented by the Deputy Head of the Akim's Office, B. Asanbayev.
"Provision of information requested is refused if the request does not comply with the requirements of this Law (subparagraph 3) of paragraph 2 of Article 18-1 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan 'On Mass Media'); moreover, an official document confirming that you are an accredited journalist was not provided. The provision of information requested in the queries is refused based on the above", the message states.
The editorial team writes that the akimat's response was dated 4 September 2024, and by that time the new Law "On Mass Media" had come into force, replacing the Law "On Media".
Furthermore, they noted that the current Law "On Mass Media" does not contain Article 18-1, which the akimat referenced. According to them, the previous Law "On Media" also had no clause stating that proof of accreditation must be attached to a request.