Zhanbolat Mamay, journalist and leader of the unregistered opposition Democratic Party of Kazakhstan will remain in custody for yet another month, until 12 June, as a criminal suspect accused of insulting a government representative (Criminal Code, Article 378.2) and spreading false information (Article 274.2). Amnesty International believes this prosecution is politically motivated and Mamay should…
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…
Blogger and journalist Aigul Utepova was forcibly placed in a psychiatric hospital in Nursultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, on 23 November. She has been under house arrest since 17 September charged with “participating in an extremist organization” for her YouTube videos and posts on social media critical of the government. On 19 November a court…
On 22 June, Alnur Ilyashev, a Kazakhstani political and human rights activist, was sentenced to three years of “restricted freedom” (a non-custodial sentence) and a ban on political and civic activism for five years for criticizing the government’s handling of COVID-19. He was released at the end of the on-line trial.
Kazakhstani human rights activist, Alnur Ilyashev, has been arrested for his publications on social media that criticised the ruling Nur Otan party and its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is being prosecuted for “spreading false information” that harms “interests” during the state in emergency, a crime which carries up to seven years in prison.…
After more than five months of detention, prisoner of conscience Serikzhan Bilash was released from house arrest on 17 August after he pleaded guilty and agreed to stop campaigning on human rights violations in China. He will pay a fine of $300 and remain under travel restrictions for three months. Following his release, Serikzhan stated…
Human rights defender Serikzhan Bilash is facing charges of “incitement of social, national, clan, race, class or religious hatred” which carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison. The first hearing was held on 29 July in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital city, and it was decided that the case would be transferred to the…
Human rights defender Serikzhan Bilash has been under house arrest since 10 March. He is the leader of the human rights organisation Atajurt, which exposes human rights violations against ethnic Kazakhs in China. Serikzhan Bilash is facing charges under Article 174 of the Criminal Code in an apparent move by the authorities to intimidate and…
Kazakhstani activist and blogger, Muratbek Tungishbayev risks losing sight in his left eye due to the penitentiary authorities’ failure to provide him with necessary medical care following surgery he had on his eye. He remains held in pre-trial detention in Almaty, on politically-motivated charges and requires urgent surgery immediately in order to save his sight.…
Ardak Ashym, a 52-year-old blogger and civil activist from Shymkent, south Kazakhstan, has been released from the psychiatric facility where she had been detained since 31 March. The criminal investigation against her for comments on social media is still ongoing.
Ardak Ashym, a 52-year-old blogger and civil activist from Shymkent, south Kazakhstan, has been detained in a psychiatric facility after being charged with “insulting a state official, with the use of mass media” under Article 378 of the Criminal Code for her posts on social media which criticize the government. Amnesty International considers Ardak Ashym…
On 13 April, prisoner of conscience, Akmaral Tobylova was released on bail. She had been under house arrest since 13 March, and is charged with financing an extremist organization merely for browsing an opposition party website.