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Kazakhstan Holds Blogger in Psychiatric Clinic Over Government Criticism

Asim Kashgarian

   WASHINGTON - For nearly three weeks Kazakhstan blogger Aigul Utepova
   was detained in a psychiatric clinic for "observation" after she wrote
   critical posts of the government on social media.

   Utepova, who has over 8,000 followers on both her Facebook pageand
   YouTube channel, had already been under house arrest since September
   when a court in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, ordered that she be
   moved to the clinic, according to rights groups and her daughter.

   The 50-year-old journalist, who until 2018 worked for the NewTimes.kz
   news agency, is accused of "participating in an extremist
   organization."

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