"Governments everywhere have an obligation to investigate all allegations of rape and other sexual assault," said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division. "But Duvanov's long-standing history of criticizing government policy, combined with past harassment against him, raise suspicions that this has all the makings of a politically-motivated case."

In July, prosecutors brought charges against Duvanov for his Internet postings about government attempts to silence journalists covering Swiss and U.S. investigations into alleged corruption by President Nazarbaev and family members. On August 30, Duvanov was viciously attacked by unknown assailants, who inflicted a head injury and knife wounds.

"The Kazakh authorities should make clear the grounds for the accusations against Duvanov, while respecting the alleged victim's right to privacy," said Andersen. "Because of the sensitivity of the case, and the stakes involved for Duvanov, the international community should follow this case very closely."

If the charges against Duvanov are groundless, it would be the second time in fifteen months that Kazakh authorities resorted to arbitrary detention to stop political opposition activists and journalists from traveling abroad. In July 2001, Kazakh officials prevented Amirzhan Qosanov, acting chair of the Republican People's party of Kazakhstan, a prominent opposition party, and Yermurat Bapi, the editor of an opposition newspaper, from boarding a flight in July to the U.S., where they were due to testify at a U.S. congressional hearing on human rights in Central Asia.

Duvanov, who also works as editor-in-chief of the "Bulletin," published by the non-governmental organization Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, has consistently focused his work on justice and civil rights issues. The charges against him follow numerous attacks by unknown assailants on journalists working for Kazakhstan's independent media.