Translated material
Satire is not a crime
In Kazakhstan, a year began with the arrests of journalists
Temirlan Ensebek. Photo: social networks
On January 17, the Almaty police set up the author of the satirical public Qaznews24 Temirlan Ensebek in jail . The blogger was detained in the case of "inciting interethnic growth through publication on social networks."
Qaznews24 is a well -known satirical public on Instagram*, X and Telegram, analogue of The Onion in the USA and Panorama IA in Russia. The page retells real news and are written absolutely invented, ridicurating officials of all levels, including the president of the country.
In 2021, Temirlan was already threatened with Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Distribution of false information”, however, lawyer Zhanar Balgabaeva managed to convince the court that each publication has a disclaim, that the news is satirical, and the information about the public indicates that any coincidences with real persons random. Amnesty International ** and Human Rights Watch ** connected to Temirlan in 2021, Temirlan became the first Kazakhstani participant in Amnesty's Marathon, and the case was stopped by the lack of corpus delicti.
Now Ensbek is charged with a more stringent criminal article of 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Fruitment of Interethnic Retaz”. According to the examination in the case file, the entire guilty post on Instagram “Kazakhstan rappers recorded the answer to Tina Kandelaki.” A song that has existed for more than 20 years was attached to the post - Kz Style “You Orystar” ( YOU, Russians - from the HAZ. ). The song, the authors of which are unknown, contains offensive attacks, but it is important to note that it is not in the lists of extremist or prohibited materials. Now, after more than 20 years, the police are looking for the authors of this composition . The other day, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstandemanded to remove a scandalous track from Meta ***, YouTube and Tiktok.
Temirlan Ensbek is facing a large fine (29 million tenge), restriction or imprisonment for a period of two to seven years. According to the law, an article on inciting retail is considered extremist. The Investigative Court has concluded a blogger for two months. The court hearing was held at the Almaty Police Department on the evening of January 18.
In addition to journalism, Temirlan Ensebek is an activist of the Oyan, Qazaqstan political reform movement. Members of Oyan, Qazaqstan throughout its existence, since 2019, have been repeatedly subjected to threats, searches, proposals to “cooperate” with the KNB (an analogue of the FSB in Kazakhstan), as well as hacks of smartphones with Spyus spys.
The associates of Ensbek are confident that the publication with Tina Kandelaki is a formal pretext for stopping Qaznews24.
At a press conference, the participants in the movement indicated that the case on Ensbek was instituted in April 2024, but they gave the active move right now. Why the criminal case lay on the “shelf” for almost a year is not known for certain. Activists of the movement believe that Temirlan now took up, because at the beginning of the year the publication “On the anniversary of the January events of Kasim-Zhomart, Tokayev instructed to conduct preventive torture in large cities of Kazakhstan”. The authorities of Kazakhstan are actively trying to hide police arbitrariness during the January protests in 2022.
Bots, local pro -government bloggers and Russian propaganda have already connected to the case of “ethnic growth”: a news release was published on the Russia 24 channel, where Temirlan is stamped by Russophobe.
Also, after the detention of Temirlan, the police tried to open the phone and laptop of Ensbek more than 10 times, apparently, the point is not at all about the publication of Tina Kandelaki. Activists Oyan, Qazaqstan believe that special services are looking for new tools for traffic and its members. The Yensbek camera in the pre -trial detention center is constantly being searched, since the news on the page is still in the same mode.
After the arrest of Ensebek on January 19, a journalist of the publication "Cauced" Ruslan Biketov came to a single picket, he was placed in the IVS for 15 days. The next day, January 20, the journalist and activist Oyan, Qazaqstan Asem Zhapishev also went to a single picket with the poster "Satira - Kylymys Emes!" ( Satira is not a crime, with a Kaz. Yaz). She was also placed under administrative arrest in a special -reception for 15 days. The Kazakhstan deputy of the Mazhilis Yermurat Bapi expressed indignation regarding the arrest of journalists for the freedom of expression of his opinion and demanded to free Zhapishev.
After the detention of journalists in the country, a relay race of single pickets broke out - in Kostanay, activist Sergei Zinchenko entered the picket, an activist Oyan, Qazaqstan Akmaral Dzhakibaeva in Almaty, and an unbearable activist Musagali Dauilov with the inscription “I am not funny” came out in Aktobe.
“Citizens limit the right to gather peacefully, speak, create parties. The dictatorship of the law, which President Tokaev is talking about, <...> is an instrument for suppressing disagreements. I demand freedom Temirlan Ensbek and the detained [journalists] Asem Zhapisheva and Ruslan Bikutov, ” Jakibaeva commented on her picket to reporters. The activist held in her hands a poster with the inscription: "Satira Kylymi Emes."
Zinchenko and Dzhakibaeva were a fine of 50 MCI. At the end of January, 10 people went to single pickets in Kazakhstan.
International human rights organizations have already expressed their concern in connection with the persecution of Temirlan Ensbek: the iPhr issued a statement .
Bota Sharipzhan