Politically motivated criminal prosecution of civil activist Serik Zhakhin

 
On 25 March 2021 an investigator of the Investigative Division of the Astana City Police Department, Senior Police Lieutenant Praliyev A.S. drew up an indictment against Serik Zhakhin on a politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 1 ("organisation of activities of an extremist organisation") and Article 405 Part 2 ("participation in an extremist organisation"). The indictment is based on:
 
1) Serik Zhakhin called for and participated in peaceful protests, for which he was unlawfully prosecuted under Article 488 ("violation of the law on peaceful assemblies").
2) On 16, 20, 21 and 22 September 2020, he reposted publications with an appeal to join a peaceful protest on 25 September organised by the "DCK" - "thus, Zhakhin S.E. took part in the organisation" of peaceful protests, "appointed dates, places and put forward various demands to the authorities".
3) On 16 September 2020, Serik Zhakhin reposted a publication calling the police officers to join the "DCK".
4) He created a chat room on Telegram called "Astana Belsendileri", where "there are 87 participants". "As the administrator of this group, S.E. Zhakhin organised the activities of the "DCK" and "Koshe Partiyasy", where he designed its objectives".
5) He raised the issue of allegedly "financing the extremist organization DCK" - in fact, Serik Zhakhin wrote that it was necessary to raise money (make public donations - which is legal) through social networks and Youtube. And that leaflets are needed to raise public awareness and unification. 
6) In a Telegram-chat, he raised the issue of involving people - in fact, uniting people by political beliefs.
7) In a Telegram-chat, he called for creation of several more different Telegram-chats, to find people who could become leaders of "DCK" and "Koshe Partiyasy", "which need help to achieve the intended goal and penetration into the Parliament of Kazakhstan to elect the Prime Minister - Mukhtar Ablyazov".
 
On 2 April 2021, the indictment was signed by deputy prosecutor of Astana Kilymzhanov E. T. It should be reminded that in October 2019, Serik Zhakhin was illegally sentenced on a politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 2 to one year of restriction of liberty.
 
DCK (Democratic Choice of Kazakhtstan opposition movement)*