AUTHORITIES TRY ANY EXCUSE REFUSING TO CHANGE SENTENCE FOR SEYTKAZY MATAEV
On July 20th the Court held a session on replacement of punishment (imprisonment) to restraint of liberty for Seitkazy Mataev, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan,. The deadline for application of this replacement is May 15th (by law) and this date is already passed. The Court, however, started to discuss the matter just recently, on July 20th. The Court session was postponed three times.
The court session originally planned to be held in the Kapchagai City Court. However, as soon as authorities found out that reporter from several media will cover the session, they unexpectedly decided to hold a circuit session in the colony in Zarechnoye village.
Journalists and lawyers went there. Authorities, however, found an excuse for refusing to let journalistsin- ‘the court session will be held in the correctional facility which has restricted access for visitors’. Media representatives had no luck despite a petition sent by the defense lawyers requesting authorities to let journalistsin.
Defenders of Mataev presented a number of documents in favor of replacing the punishment for him. There are many factors in Mataev’s favor – for example, Department of Justice provided a statement that the process of recovery of damages is going; Mataev’s property was seized; Mataev has the doctor's statement confirming that he is ill and receives the treatment in the medical unit of colony. The correctional facility’s authorities also prepared their statement that Mataev’s behavior is proper and that administration does not object to the replacement of imprisonment to deprivation of liberty.
The Prosecutor's office is considered otherwise. It is objected to changing of sentence on the ground that Mataev allegedly didn’t compensate the damage.
Seitkazy Mataev, the head of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan, was found guilty on fraud and tax evasion by Astana City court on October 3, 2016. He was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment, with confiscation of his property.
His son Aset Mataev, the general director of KazTAG, was found guilty on fraud and sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment, with confiscation of his property.
Father and son both strongly disagreed with charges and pleaded not guilty.
The correctional facility in which Seitkazy Mataev serves hissentence, in the beginning of April, applied with motion to reduce his remaining sentence in half (2 years and 8 months).
