American director of journalism program killed

KAZAKSTAN–Chris Gehring, the American director of a journalism training program in Almaty, was found dead in his apartment in early January. According to the Associated Press, colleagues discovered his body when he failed to show up to work at Internews Network, a California-based nonprofit group which provides training programs for journalists in Kazakstan and other former Soviet republics. Gehring’s throat had been slit.

A spokesperson for Kazakstan’s State Investigation Committee said that there were no political motives in the murder, according to AP reports. AP also reported that an independent television news agency said that police have arrested two suspects, both of whom knew Gehring. One of the suspects has admitted stealing Gehring’s apartment keys and giving them to the other suspect, according to AP.

Gehring, 28, had lived in Kazakstan since May 1995.