Case against Makhambet Abzhan dismissed

On March 24, a senior investigator of the  investigative division of the Baikonyr District Police Station of Nur-Sultan City Police department decided to drop the criminal case against journalist Makhambet Abzhan.

The expert study appointed by the investigator did not find either calls for participation in a protest action or offensive remarks against the policemen in Abzhan's words .

“According to the conclusion No. 226 of February 16, 2022, the expert came to the conclusion that the general focus of the text is defined as informing about the events taking place in Astana and throughout Kazakhstan, where local people went to protests with different demands. In the statements of M.Abzhan  recorded on the presented disk, there is no information discrediting the honor and dignity of law enforcement officers,” the expert opinion says.

The material evidence will be returned to the journalist, and a copy of the decision to dismiss the investigation will be sent to the prosecutor.As it was reported, on January 4, Makhambet Abzhan, the author of the Abzhannews Telegram channel, gave an interview to the Russian TV channel Dozhd about the rallies taking place in Kazakhstan. After that, the police came to his house. Allegedly his neighbors complained about noise. The journalist believes that the arrival of the police was connected to his active covering of the protests in Kazakhstan.

On January 6, Makhambet Abzhan disappeared, but two weeks later he reported on his Telegram channel that he was ok.