Zhanbolat Mamay, journalist and leader of the unregistered opposition Democratic Party of Kazakhstan was kept in custody as a criminal suspect after already wrongfully spending 15 days in “administrative detention” for peaceful protest. On March 14 a court remanded him in custody for two months during the investigation on charges of insulting a government representative (Criminal Code, Article 378) and spreading false information (Article 274). Amnesty International believes this prosecution is politically motivated and Mamay should be immediately released from detention and the charges dropped.
