Tony Blair, The Daily Telegraph And Those Rich Kazakh Despots
THE Daily Telegraph seems upset that Tony Blair is making money from dealing with Kazakhstan:
Human rights groups have criticised Kazakhstan for its control of the media and it has never held an election judged to be free and fair by international observers. October 25, 2011
Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, is helping the controversial government of Kazakhstan to improve its standing in the West….
Diplomatic cables sent from the Kazakh capital, Astana, and published by WikiLeaks accused the country’s politicians of widespread corruption, saying: “Corruption is endemic among Kazakhstani officialdom.”
The US cables also report: “Severe limits on ability to change their government; detainee and prisoner torture and other abuse; unhealthy prisoner conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of an independent judiciary; restrictions on freedom of speech; pervasive corruption, especially in law enforcement and the judicial system; discrimination and violence against women; trafficking in persons.” – October 23, 2011Tony Blair may have lost one dictator friend with the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. But he need not despair. He has found another autocrat to do business with in the guise of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of oil-rich Kazakhstan. – October 22, 2011
Or as the paper told us on October 11, 2011, in a supplement called “Kazakhstan Spotlight”: “Expats find enjoyable living in Kazakh cities.”
Well, so long as the despots pay for the advertorial, that’s all right, then…
Posted: 27th, October 2011 | In: Politicians Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
