Author of Akhual Segodnya YouTube channel Azamat Omarov sentenced to 3.5 years of restricted freedom

On 15 September, the Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana found journalist and author of the Akhual Segodnya YouTube channel Azamat Omarov guilty under Part 1 of Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — incitement of social discord. Human rights defender Bakhytzhan Toregozhina reported the verdict on social media.

Omarov was sentenced to three and a half years of restricted freedom, with probation supervision imposed for the entire duration of the sentence. He was released from custody after the verdict was announced. The judgment has not yet entered into legal force.

In addition, the court banned Omarov for five years from engaging in public and political, socio-economic, and journalistic and commentary activities.

As previously reported, Azamat Omarov was detained on 18 July following a search during which law enforcement officers seized phones, computers and hard drives. The journalist had remained in custody since then.

After his detention, several videos disappeared from the Akhual Segodnya YouTube channel. Among them was an episode in which Omarov used satire to address the possibility of resetting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s presidential term limits.

Earlier, the International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech “Adil Soz” appealed to law enforcement authorities, calling on them to publicly explain the grounds for Omarov’s criminal prosecution. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also spoke out in his defence, urging the Kazakhstani authorities to drop the charges against him.

Adil Soz has also previously raised concerns about the practice of imposing additional penalties on journalists in the form of bans on professional activity. The Foundation believes that such restrictions affect not only a journalist’s right to work, but also the guaranteed right to freedom of expression.