Сөз бостандығын қорғау халықаралық қоры
Международный фонд защиты свободы слова
The International Foundation for Freedom of Speech Protection

Zhenis Kuspan refused to give testimony

15 february 2022

On February 15, journalist and blogger Zhenis Kuspan and his  lawyer, came for interrogation to the investigator Asylbek Rysmakhanbetov, senior police lieutenant of the Baikonur  Police station in Nur-Sultan .

They studied the case materials, and the journalist refused to give testimony - the power of a protected witness under article 65-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The investigation intends to send Kuspan's seized phone for expert examination. It is not yet clear whether it will be a technical, content or any other examination. In any case the investigating body is obliged to acquaint the protected witness  with the order of commissioning of expert evidence .

On February 1, journalist and blogger Zhenis Kuspan received a summons from the investigator of the Baikonyr district of Nur-Sultan st. lieutenant Asylbek Rysmakhanbetov. The summons said that he had  to appear at police station to be interrogated as a witness in a criminal case №227100031000003 on the same day. The journalist was not  able to appear at the police, as he was in home quarantine due to a positive test for coronavirus and he  warned the investigator about that.

Kuspan looked through all the information he posted on social networks and supposed that the reason was a video he posted on January 30. The video showed the marching police that was allegedly singing the national anthem and shouting “Shal ket!” (Old man, leave! - a slogan used by protesters against ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayaev). Zhenis Kuspan commented it: “It's a Tiktoker's joke and the sound is superimposed!”.

“I often so this when I see questionable content so that people were aware of what they are dissiminating.  I took FACT-CHECKING courses and often post such videos on my Facebook page with comments so that people also pay attention to that! And this time I wrote: “TikTok pranksterterinin oilap tappaytyndary zhok)))”. That means : “What  jokes TikTokers can invent,” Kuspan said.

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