Independent Kazakh newspapers are faced with a temporary stop to printing as their major printing press has been closed in order to be tax probed, the Taiwan News reported Friday.

Authorities raided and closed the Kometa-S printing press earlier this week under the premise of tax evasion. The Kometa-S plant prints the Independent newspaper Respublika, and the publications for the Azat and Alga opposition movements. All printing has been postponed while the investigation proceeds. Respublika labelled the raid an act of intimidation to force the papers closure.