On 20 May 2021, civil activist from Aktobe, Asylkhan Zhaubatyrov, was illegally placed in a pre-trial detention facility for the duration of investigation in a politically motivated criminal case under Article 405 Part 2 ("participation in an extremist organisation") for a blank white sheet of paper. 

 

The ruling on his recognition as a suspect dated 26 February 2021 (the ruling on the characterization of the act of the suspect dated 5 March 2021 is identical) is based on:

 

- On 15 November 2020, at approximately 18:56, while in Aktobe, "for the purpose of endangering public security, actively assisting the leaders and leaders of the KP (note "Koshe Partiyasy"), destabilizing the social situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan, using a mobile phone, which was unidentified during the pre-trial investigation, he took pictures of himself with the image of various letters and posted them on YouTube page on the page "Mukhtar Ablyazov DCK" in the video "MEETING ONLINE", where subsequently using the above words formed meaningful sentences of the following content: "Tokayev you are killing us", "We will not be silent", "The authorities are real criminals", "Death or freedom", "Stop fascism", "Death or freedom", "For democracy and freedom", i.e. in this way Zhaubatyrov A. E. acted as a volunteer activist whose actions are aimed at achieving certain political goals (obtaining state power or participating in its implementation).

 

Moreover, it was reported that Asylkhan Zhaubatyrov photographed himself with a blank sheet of paper (like dozens of other people) on which letters were superimposed in the editing process, which were combined into words (as in the screenshots).

Link to that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilMNtK_nV30 (and it was broadcast on the “16/12” channel, not on the “Mukhtar ABLYAZOV DCK page” - there is no such page even).

 

 

Asylkhan Zhaubatyrov simply took a picture of himself with a blank sheet of paper. He did not put any letters on the sheet of paper himself during the editing process, he did not publish the video himself, and he could not have done so, as he does not have access to this Youtube account. Further, there is nothing illegal in the letters and words.The photo also shows female civil activists and their children, who took similar photos with a blank white sheet of paper that was used for the challenge.

 

The resolution was signed by Lieutenant Colonel E. Abdullin, Senior Investigator of the Investigation Division of the Department of Police (DCI) of Aktobe region and was approved by Assistant Prosecutor of Aktobe region Turebekov J.K.

The Head of the Criminal Investigation Division of Aktobe region, Police Colonel Godlevsky E.I., instructed to initiate a pre-trial investigation.