Appeal in journalist Alexandra Alyokhova’s case to be heard on 15 September

The Almaty City Court will hear appeals in the criminal case against journalist Alexandra Alyokhova (Sentsova) on 15 September. The hearing is scheduled for 11:30 and will be held behind closed doors.

As previously reported, on 3 August the Almaly District Court of Almaty found Alyokhova guilty under Part 5 of Article 147 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — unlawful dissemination through mass media of personal data constituting a private secret. She was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, with enforcement of the sentence deferred for five years, until 2031, and was also banned from engaging in journalistic activities for three years.

Both sides appealed the verdict. The Almaty Prosecutor’s Office is seeking a more lenient sentence, while Alyokhova’s defence insists that she is innocent. Her lawyers argue that the journalist used information that was already publicly available at the time of publication, including in court documents.

Earlier, the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” described the punishment imposed on Alyokhova as excessively harsh. The Foundation noted that the original source of the disputed information was not held criminally liable, while the law enforcement officer responsible for the initial leak of the data received only disciplinary action.

“A professional ban and a real prison sentence for working with information that, by the time of publication, was already circulating online and contained in publicly available court documents are incompatible with legal logic and the principle of equality before the law,” said Nazira Darimbet, President of the Adil Soz Foundation.

Adil Soz will continue to monitor the case as it proceeds through the appeal stage.