Zarekhnoye, 07.02.2015

Members of the PEN Club, the international organisation of writers, have sent postcards with New Year's wishes to the penal colony where Kozlov is now serving his prison sentence. Thus they expressed their solidarity with Kozlov who, in addition to his opposition activities had been, before his arrest, an independent journalist and one of the founders of the first privately owned television channel in Kazakhstan.

One of the senders of postcards and letters to Kozlov is Hans Poppel of the German branch of the PEN Club. Poppel expressed his hope for the quick release of the activist and assured that the organisation would not cease in its efforts and would continue to protest against his prison sentence. 

In September 2014, a PEN Club delegation was granted permission to visit the colony where Kozlov was met, amongst others, by the organisation's President John Ralston Saul. The PEN Club, as an organisation, has been following Kozlov's case for a long time now and pleading for his release. As a journalist, Kozlov supported freedom of the media in Kazakhstan. After his arrest, the authorities put a ban on the activities of more than ten independent portals and newspapers.

Source: Respublika, Facebook profile of Aliya Turusbekova