Journalists at the rallies. Chronicle of 4-10 January. Supplements

January 11, 2022

Journalists at the protests. Chronicle of events 4-10 January. Supplements

5 January

Almaty. Overnight into January 5, Ruslan Pryanikov, AFP photographer, was hit by a car at the crossroads of  Baitursynov Street and Abai Avenue while covering the riot. According to him, it was an accident. The protesters attacked a car that was passing by, the driver got scared, hit the gas, and the photographer just got in his way. The photographer’s leg was broken, but he was provided medical care.

Almaty. Orda.kz special reporter and editor Bagdat Asylbek was detained at night near Republic Square in Almaty after he was making video of special forces unit soldiers shooting in the direction of a group of people. Soon two equipped soldiers with shields and a baton approached the journalist. Despite the fact that Bagdat Asylbek was dressed in accordance with the requirements of the law (in a blue «PRESS» vest), and showed his official ID, the soldiers grabbed him and pushed him into a police wagon. Besides they took away the identity card and the service card from the journalist, ordered: "Sit here" and left the wagon. Bagdat Asylbek immediately ran out of the wagon and followed them.  He was demanding to  give him back the documents and phone for a certain time. After a long dispute, the soldiers returned the documents and phones on the condition that Bagdat Asylbek would leave the street.

Uralsk. Police detained Serik Yessenov, a reporter for Uralskaya Nedeli, when he was makina a video of army vehicles in the city center. He was taken to the Abay district police department and police tried to delete the video. Serik managed to inform Tamara Yeslyamova, the editor-in-chief of Uralskaya Nedelya, about the detention. She promptly applied to the press secretary of the city's Department of Internal Affairs. As a result, the video was saved and Yessenov was released.

Uralsk. Esenzhol Yelekenov, trainee of the Uralskaya Nedeli, was detained and taken to the police, where he was held for three hours. He left his phone in a special cell at the entrance to the police department in accordance with the general rules for entering police buildings. When Yesenzhol was released, he found out that all video was deleted.

While covering the protests, Yesenzhol was injured quite seriously and had to go to the hospital.

January 9

Aktobe. At 11 PM 5 people - policemen and attesting witnesses – knocked at the door of journalist Ardak Erubaeva. The police showed a search warrant. They searched the apartment and seized a mobile phone. By midnight, they took her to the police department for interrogation.

As Erubaeva told the Adil Soz reporter, she does not understand her procedural status at the interrogation. The investigator was interested why she went to the rally and who accompanied her.

Ardak Erubaeva suggests that the akim (mayor) of the region (Aktobe region) Ondasyn Urazalin added her to the list of people who were to be interrogated.

“I often criticize the work of Ondasyn Urazalin. In those days, I wrote on social networks that he did not come out to the protesters. He sent the akim of the city Askhat Shaharov instead, who had to come out to the people for several times, though the rallies took place not only in the city, people also gathered in remote areas of the region. Accordingly, I think the head of the region should have come out to the people, not the city mayor, ”she said.

By 02 AM on January 10, the journalist was released and brought home without imposing any restrictions.

10 January

Uralsk. The court of appeal dismissed the appeal of journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov without explaining the reasons. The journalist appealed the court decision of January 7, that arrested for 10 days on charges of participating in an unsanctioned rally.

As it was reported,  Lukpan Akhmedyarov was detained by the police on January 5, he was taken to the city department of internal affairs, without clear reasons for the detention.

“I was told that there are several questions for me,” the journalist said. - I spent several hours in the city department. Investigator Bigaliev interrogated me about my participation in banned organizations. It is unknown what case they are investigating.