Kazakhstan: 11 cases were initiated on the dissemination of fakes about torture
Kazakhstan continues to investigate the January riots. Sanzhar Adilov, head of the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said at a briefing in Nur-Sultan that the cases of more than 400 accused of participating in the January events were sent to court.
“Today, the internal affairs bodies have done a lot of work in order to restore law and order, identify offenders and compensate for damage to citizens, which is still ongoing. As a result of the prompt and high-quality investigation by the investigators of the internal affairs bodies with the indictment, 255 criminal cases against 402 accused were completed and sent to court,” Adilov said.
In turn, deputy head of the 1st Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Yeldos Kilymzhanov, said that not all of the accused took part in the January events at the call of their hearts. Among them there were many who went for it for selfish reasons.
“Citizens O and N were identified in Almaty region. They financed the rioters in the city of Taldykorgan, and also contributed to causing damage to the property of citizens and seizing state facilities. They were paid from $20 to $100 per person for participation in the pogroms,” Kilymzhanov explained.
He also noted that in Almaty, the rioters received clear instructions:
“In Almaty, on January 4, 2022, a resident of Zhambyl region created a Telegram channel, to which several thousand participants subscribed in a few hours. Through this Telegram channel, its participants received detailed instructions on creating barricades, making Molotov cocktails, resisting law enforcement officers and seizing buildings. Then, on January 5 and 6, information about the movement of the rioters and the correction of their attacks on state facilities in Zhambyl region went through the specified channel. Also during the investigation, the driver of Gazelle car, citizen C and his accomplice, citizen K, were identified. They traveled in the specified car, distributed pre-prepared fittings, stolen police shields and bulletproof vests. They also used their car to block roads, hindering the movement of law enforcement officers. An analysis of criminal cases shows that in other regions where tragic events took place, they developed according to identical scenarios and had a common coordination. This circumstance testifies to the existence of a unified plan,” the deputy head of the 1st Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office emphasized.
He also noted that fake articles about the use of torture by law enforcement officers against participants in the January events are still being circulated on social networks.
“Each report about the use of unlawful methods of investigation against suspects is carefully checked. I remind you that the Criminal Code provides for liability for the dissemination of knowingly false information. Currently, 11 pre-trial/wpbeen registered on such reports; one case has already been sent to court,” Kilymzhanov added.
