Asel Onlanbekkyzy is being prosecuted in a politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 2 ("participation in an extremist organisation"). "Grounds" for a political criminal case:
1) Asel Onlanbekkyzy has a status on her Instagram page: "I love KAZAKHSTAN deeply; I hate Nazarbayev frankly; I wish for the DCK passionately".
2) On 23 September 2019, Asel Onlanbekkyzy shared a Facebook post by Mukhtar Ablyazov with the title "Sultan of my heart". Allegedly, this shows "signs of the need for subjugation, instinctively giving herself away under the control of the leader of an extremist organisation".
3) On 31 December 2019, Asel Onlanbekkyzy and other activists went live with Mukhtar Ablyazov, they listened to his New Year greetings and chanted "Alga, DCK!” (Go ahead, DCK)
4) "During the pre-trial investigation, it was found that Onlanbekkyzy A. often demonstrates a gesture, where she raises her right hand making a fist" and this gesture "can be found in the body movement" of Mukhtar Ablyazov.
5) Asel Onlanbekkyzy "takes part in organisation of rallies".
Asel Onlanbekkyzy is being politically persecuted for exercising his constitutional rights: she participated in peaceful protests. In its
resolution of 11 February 2021, the European Parliament has condemned the abuse of anti-extremism legislation by the Kazakhstani authorities to persecute supporters of the peaceful opposition movements “DCK” and “Koshe Partiyasy” and called on the Kazakhstani authorities "to drop politically motivated charges and end all forms of arbitrary detention, reprisals and harassment against human rights activists, religious organisations, civil society organisations, trade unions, journalists and political opposition movements".
We call on the US, the EU, the UK and Canada to impose personal sanctions on: the head of the National Security Committee, Karim Massimov; the General Prosecutor, Gizat Nurdauletov; and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerlan Turgumbayev.
DCK (Democratic Choice of Kazakhtstan opposition movement)*
