CPJ Demands Release of Kazakh Journalists Kairat Domalin and Kuandyk Koben in China

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Chinese authorities to release Kazakh journalists Kairat Domalin and Kuandyk Koben, who were arrested in Urumqi, a city in the Xinjiang region, in April. The arrests were reported in June by Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights, a human rights organization based in Kazakhstan.

Both journalists worked for the local state-run television network, Xinjiang Television. CPJ has not received any information on the charges against Domalin and Koben. However, it is suspected that Koben’s arrest may be linked to his work on historic buildings in Xinjiang that have been ignored by the Chinese government.

Iris Hsu, CPJ’s China representative, stated, “Chinese authorities must free Kazakh journalists Kairat Domalin and Kuandyk Koben. It’s time for China to cease its campaign of harassing and arbitrarily detaining press members of the Muslim ethnic minorities and release all imprisoned journalists.”

Domalin was a TV presenter for the program “Zholaushy” (Traveler) on Xinjiang Television, while Koben produced, directed, and presented Kazakh-language documentaries and over 20 award-winning television programs.

CPJ’s calls to the Public Security Department of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region regarding the journalists’ safety have gone unanswered. A 2023 CPJ report found China to be the worst country for arresting journalists, especially from ethnic minorities, with at least 44 journalists behind bars as of December 1, 2023. Many of these journalists are ethnic Uyghurs from Xinjiang.

International human rights organizations, the United Nations, and several governments have accused China of severe crimes against humanity and ongoing genocide in Xinjiang, particularly against the region’s Muslim ethnic groups.