Op-ed
Walled gardens of corruption
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Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, straddles Europe and China.
I first became aware of the Kazakh government's impact on Wikipedia in 2012 when I learnt that Jimmy Wales was due to visit the Central Asian country to formally bestow the inaugural Wikipedian-of-the-Year award on Rauan Kenzhekhanuly, a former Kazakh diplomat. The ceremony, planned to take place in the presence of the country's president and prime minister, sounded like a high-profile event – almost like a state visit.
In the end, Wales' journey never materialised. There was a hubbub on his Wikipedia talk page, pointing out Kazakhstan's awful human rights record and Wales' personal links to Tony Blair, who has long been castigated for his multi-million-dollar consultancy contract advising the Kazakh government on how to polish its image in the west. Several press articles appeared, raising metaphorical eyebrows, and the trip never took place (see previous Signpost coverage).