Uralskaya Nedela journalists accused of violating the rules for the use of airspace

On July 29, at about 8.50 PM  police  of the city of Nur-Sultan detained journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov and cameraman Isatay Duysekeshov.

The journalist and the cameraman filmed a panorama of the city at the corner of Sagynak and Sauran streets using a drone. After about 5 minutes from the start of filming, a police patrol car drove up to them. Police inspectors Oraz Otegenov and Marat Baltabay demanded that the journalists show them permission to launch the drone. At that the police officers could not explain which authority issues such a permit. The journalists were taken to the police department of the Esil district of Nur-Sultan, to the office of Marat Dubayev, the first deputy head of the police department. The latter said that administrative proceedings would commence against the journalists under Article 563 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Violation of the rules for the use of airspace." The journalists demanded to draw up a protocol of detention and read their rights, but  Dubayev refused, saying that the police did not prosecute them and just opens a case that would be transferred to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The journalists were released after they as give a written explanation. Though  that they signed a document that they were obliged to provide a drone at the request of government agencies.

After that, the journalists tried to file a complaint about the illegal actions of police officers through the duty officer of that department. However, the on-duty policeman refused to accept the statement, referring to the fact that the work time was over .

The  next day, Lukpan received a call from an employee of the Civil Aviation Committee. The official said that a fine had been imposed on him. He could not say neither the amount of the fine, nor the way to pay it.

“He was only able to tell unambiguously and precisely that it is forbidden to launch drones within a radius of 4 km from Akorda (president's residence). It is surprising that the map of no-fly zones, that is built-in into the drone does not contain this information, ”Lukpan wrote on his Facebook page.