A well-known blogger Ardak Ashim is detained in Shymkent on suspicion of inciting hatred

In the morning of March 15, twelve people entered the home of the famous blogger Ardak Ashim in Shymkent, her daughter told. They presented a search warrant based on the charge under Art. 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (incitement of national, religious, social discord). The search lasted 2 hours, all cell phones, a laptop and two computers were seized. After that, two officers lugged Ardak Ashim out of the house and put her in their car. She is now at the Shymkent Department of Internal Affairs, where she is supossed to be interroggated.

Ardak Ashim is an economist, a popular blogger that raises sensitive issues about human rights and the rule of law. In particular it was widely known theat she appealled to the new Minister of Labor and Social Protection M. Abylkasymova regarding the plans to recognize unemployed people as self-employed and to impose taxes on them.