Kazakhstan: a civil activist was taken to intensive care ward from a pre-trial detention center
A well-known civil activist from Kyzylorda, Muratbai Baymagambetov, was hospitalized from a pre-trial detention center in the city hospital of Kyzylorda with a knife wound received under undetermined circumstances.
“Muratbai Baymagambetov is now at the hospital. They say that he laid hands on himself, but this is not true! The operation is underway now! We are waiting for it to end!” said Indira Erubaeva, the activist from Kyzylorda, during a live broadcast on Facebook.
According to the Alliance “Tirek” (the Alliance “Tirek” deals with the issues of ensuring the rights and informational support of political prisoners in Kazakhstan), Baymagambetov’s associates reported that they were told that Baymagambetov allegedly inflicted a wound on himself in the abdomen, trying to commit suicide, in protest against being beaten by the police.
However, the activist’s supporters don’t believe in this version, since the prisoners in the pre-trial detention center cannot have any sharp objects with which to cut themselves. And secondly, his trial should soon end, and he should have been released.
As ACCA has already reported, Muratbai Baymagambetov was included in the list of political prisoners of Kazakhstan in December last year.
Baymagambetov was taken into custody seven months ago on charges of supporting the movement “Democratic choice of Kazakhstan”, which was declared extremist by the court of Esil district of the city of Nur-Sultan. In addition, Baymagambetov was repeatedly brought to administrative responsibility for criticizing the authorities and demanding the release of political prisoners.
Meanwhile, according to the Alliance “Tirek”, Baymagambetov underwent an operation. He is now at the intensive care ward. His condition is assessed by doctors as stable and grave.
