Kazakhstan: Presumed guilty before trial: prosecution of peaceful protesters Maks Bokaev and Talgat Ayan
Arrested initially for making posts on Facebook and other social media platforms in April and May about unpopular legal changes and the ongoing protests against those changes, Maks Bokaev and Talgat Ayan could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. Their trial to date has not met the requirements of a fair trial contained in international human rights treaties ratified by Kazakhstan, including the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty.