Sergei Duvanov
Template:Short description Template:Family name hatnote Template:BLP sources Sergei Vladimirovich Duvanov (Template:Langx; born 1953) is a Kazakh journalist. Duvanov is most notable for writing articles that claimed President Nursultan Nazarbayev and several other Kazakh politicians had illicit Swiss bank accounts containing millions of U.S. dollars in 2002. The scandal was labeled "Kazakhgate".<ref name=USDOJ>What's The Truth About Kazakhstan? CBS News</ref>
Controversy
In 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice investigated Kazakhgate.<ref name=USDOJ/> Duvanov was arrested in October 2002 at his datcha outside Almaty and accused of raping a 14-year-old girl. The arrest occurred one day before he visited the United States to speak about Kazakhstan's human rights situation.<ref name=RAPE>Supporters of detained Kazakhstani journalist denounce incident as government set-up EurasiaNet</ref> In January, 2003 he was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. The International League for Human Rights (ILHR), a New York-based human rights watchdog, condemned the Kazakhstani government's persecution of Sergei Duvanov. On the initiative of its Central Asia Project Manager Peter Zalmayev, ILHR awarded Duvanov (in absentia) its annual human rights award at a ceremony held at the United Nations on December 9, 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 15 January 2004, he is under a prison regime which allows him to go to work and live at home. However, Duvanov is not allowed to go to public places (a notion undetermined by Kazakh law).<ref>Journalist and human rights activist Sergei Duvanov released on probation</ref> Duvanov, and the opposition, claim that the case was politically motivated.<ref name=RAPE/> On January 15, 2004, Duvanov was released on probation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political views
Duvanov was known for being unfavorable of the Presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev. He believed that the government was totalitarian and followed a personality cult around Nazarbayev. In the last years of the 1990s, Duvanov used to publish the oppositionist newspaper "451°F", which was in support of former Prime Minister Akejan Kajegeldin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>