No more free speech in Kazakhstan. Internet to be controlled by government

Moves of Kazakh parliament to tighten state control over the Internet and the media on Wednesday were criticized by human rights watchdogs.

If passed, the law would give courts a right to block websites, and enable prosecutors to suspend media operations. The law would affect blogs and chatrooms as well.

The parliament's lower house, dominated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party, approved the draft law in the first reading and explained that the law was aimed at preventing unrest and protecting people's rights.

Kazakhstan's opposition is weak and disparate and mainstream media never criticize Nazarbayev. Nonetheless, media freedom activist Tamara Kaleyeva said the law would turn to arbitrary crackdowns tool for officials.

It should be highlighted that although Kazakhstan's economy was hit hard by the global crisis, so far there have been only small-scale displays of discontent in the country, where public protests are strictly regulated.