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There is a lot of liability involved in trying to make people laugh in Kazakhstan these days. Just ask comedian Alexander Merkul: a court in the Kazakh capital Astana recently sent him to jail for using foul language during a show. The court, in ordering Merkul to spend 10 days in the municipal clink because of his penchant for uttering four-letter words, said his performance in June at an area restaurant “disrespected others and violated public order.” Somewhere, the spirit of Lenny Bruce is getting a kick out of the controversy. This past March, Kazakhstan’s parliament adopted amendments to …

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