President's daughter defends Borat

Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen has found an unlikely supporter in his war of words with Kazakhstan – the president’s daughter.

Officials in the central Asian state were furious with his character Borat, who portrayed them as a nation of racist, sexist drunks who enjoy shooting dogs and punching cows.

They threatened to sue and pulled the plug on his website, which was hosted in the country.

But now Dariga, daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, said Kazakhstan's reaction was more damaging than the jokes themselves.

‘This website damaged our image much less than its closure which was covered by all global news agencies,’ she said.

‘We should not be afraid of humor and we shouldn't try to control everything.’

Published: 21 Apr 2006