In Aktobe, the judge of the specialized inter-district court for administrative cases, Esdauir Muratkan, by his decision found the correspondent of the information portal Nur.kz Ardak Yerubayeva guilty of disobeying the police.
The collision between the journalist and the police took place on August 31. Ardak Yerubayeva tried to photograph the government motorcade of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov, who arrived on a working visit to Aktobe region. However, two men in civilian clothes prevented her from carrying out her plan; they grabbed her mobile phone and then began to wring her hands. After that, Yerubayeva was taken to the police station and kept there for three hours.
According to the International Foundation for the Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz”, the case was initiated against the correspondent of Nur.kz under part 1 of Article 667 of the Administrative Code (“Disobedience to a lawful order or demand of an employee (military) of a law enforcement or special state body, military police, state courier service, bailiff, bailiff in connection with the performance of their official duties, as well as obstruction of their lawful activities”).
At the trial, the journalist’s lawyer, Sisembay Delmanov, stated that the rights of his client were violated: people in civilian clothes, who, as it turned out later, didn’t introduce themselves as police officers, didn’t ask Yerubayeva for her service certificate, didn’t explain what obedience and disobedience to police officers meant; and after she was taken to the police station, she wasn’t provided with a lawyer. In addition, the testimonies of witnesses to the incident were inconsistent. Lawyer Delmanov petitioned to provide the court with a full video recording of the incident, but judge Muratkan rejected his petition and all arguments in defense of the journalist.
As a result, Yerubayeva was found guilty and she was given a warning. However, the journalist intends to appeal this decision of the court.
