Journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov remanded in custody for two months

Amangeldy Batyrbekov, editor-in-chief of Saryagash-Inform, who had previously been sentenced to 20 days of administrative detention on a defamation charge, has been remanded in custody for two months. Blogger and civic activist Tortuyl Shokan reported this on social media.

According to him, Batyrbekov was due to be released on 23 October, but on 3 October he was remanded in custody for two months. The post does not specify the official grounds for the new decision.

The author of the post links both arrests to Batyrbekov’s video, “It Is Too Early to Talk About a Sensation, or Why Was Kural Seitkhan Detained?” As previously reported, the journalist had published posts on his page about the case of Kural Seitkhanuly, who was sentenced by the Turkestan City Court on 8 September 2026 to three years in prison under Article 147 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, concerning violations of privacy and personal data legislation.

Earlier, on 2 October, the Saryagash District Court for Administrative Offences sentenced Batyrbekov to 20 days of administrative detention under Article 73-3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Defamation”). The case was based on a report filed by Kuanysh Baizakov, Deputy Head of the Saryagash District Police Department for Investigations. Batyrbekov himself maintained that the case was related to his publications about Kural Seitkhanuly.

At present, the available information provides no details about Batyrbekov’s procedural status in the new case, the charges brought against him, or the grounds for placing him in custody for two months.

The Adil Soz Foundation will continue to monitor the situation.