Orda's editorial office reported that since the morning, the publication's employees have been unable to contact the office, presumably because their mobile phones were taken away. "We see that investigative actions are taking place in our office, there are men in black clothing around, as well as unmarked vehicles," the journalists wrote on Telegram.
According to the Almaty police department, criminal cases have been opened based on two articles published in the publication. One of them contained, in the investigation's opinion, "false information about a police officer's bribe," while the other included distorted facts about material damage in a property dispute. These publications, according to the investigative authorities, "damaged the reputation of the mentioned individuals." Investigations are also currently being conducted into similar cases that occurred in previous years, although their number has not been specified.
"Investigative actions are being carried out both at the residence and at the workplace of citizen B. Electronic devices and documents necessary for clarifying the circumstances of the publication of deliberately false information and verifying their sources are being seized during the process," the department commented (according to the Zakon.kz portal).
