A Kazakhstani judge sentenced a prominent opposition journalist January 28 to a 3 ½-year prison term on charges that he raped an underage girl. Supporters of the journalist, Sergei Duvanov, characterized the case as politically motivated and labeled the sentence "predictable and pathetic." One added that Duvanov's case could undermine investor confidence in Kazakhstan.

Like the criminal charges themselves, Duvanov's trial, which began December 24, had been marked by controversy. The presiding judge permitted foreign observers, including diplomats from the United States, the Netherlands and the OSCE, to observe the trial, but barred mass media representatives and the general public from the proceedings.

As the trial drew to a close, Duvanov and his defense team effectively ceased cooperating. Technically the defendant fired his lawyers in a protest action, charging the presiding judge with predetermining the verdict. "We proved everything [concerning Duvanov's innocence] to the court and if the court does not want to listen to it