ASTANA – Some 18 people have recently been detained for committing illegal acts against journalists and bloggers carried out over the last six months in Astana and Almaty, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs on Feb. 21.
Photo credit: gov.kz.
Six journalists and bloggers and one person associated with their activities suffered from several criminal attacks in Almaty and Astana stretching from September 2022 to February 2023. Intentional damage to real estate, arson of cars, threats by delivering various items, terrorism hoax threats, and dissemination of personal data on the internet were committed against the victims.
The Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs set up an interdepartmental investigative team to solve these crimes.
A total of 20 criminal cases have been initiated and are being investigated under articles 115 (threat), 147 (dissemination of information about private life), 158 (obstruction of journalistic activities), 202 (intentional destruction of other people’s property), 293 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan.
According to the ministry, all these cases have been disclosed. The necessary investigative measures are being taken to secure the evidence and proceed in the investigation further.
Earlier in January 2023, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the suspected criminal acts and bring the perpetrators to justice.
