Borat seen as human rights victim by U.S. government

[helderheid]

By Michael Steen

ALMATY (Reuters) - Fictional Kazakh TV reporter Borat has made an unexpected cameo appearance as a victim of censorship in a heavyweight annual human rights report issued by the State Department.

The 2006 report, released in Washington on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, criticized the real Kazakhstan, a vast oil-producing Central Asian state, for increased restrictions on freedom of speech and other abuses.

The State Department, which says Kazakhstan has no independent judiciary, also listed the murder last year of Kazakh opposition politician Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly, his bodyguard and driver as "unlawful deprivation of life."

The report cited Borat's loss of his Kazakh webpage www.borat.kz in late 2005 alongside court cases and limits on free speech faced by the few domestic media critical of Kazakhstan's long-serving President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"The government deemed as offensive the content of a satirical site controlled by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and revoked the .kz domain," the report said.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSL0772713020070307?src=030707_0853_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters

NIIIIIIIICCCEEE!

[jobycom]

1. Like anyone can hear America comment on human rights abuses

without thinking "YOU FREAKING HYPOCRITES!"

[EstimatedProphet]

2. I guess Kazakhstan is next on the invasion list

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. America's credibility as a defender of human rights is an oxymoron.

In the same category as "America is a Peace loving nation".

[Old and In the Way]

4. Our government, making a mockery of human rights.

Why do they hate America so much?

[Edweird]

5. Meh. I saw the movie, and Sasha Cohen is no victim here.

I am sure I'm in the minority, but I found his movie to be generally mean spirited and unfunny. The only vaguely redeeming feature was in the RV with the frat boys exposing their true selves. Other than that, a total waste of time. If I were a Kazhaki, I would b pissed at him too.