A brother of Barlyk Mendygaziyev, Bekizhan Mendygaziyev was arrested in a politically motivated criminal case for alleged "participation in an organised criminal group" (Article 262) for 3 days before a preventive measure is chosen for the duration of the investigation.

 

The authorities opened a politically motivated criminal case under Article 262 against Barlyk Mendygaziyev and, at the very least, also against Bekizhan Mendygaziyev, to show that they had allegedly set up and participated in an "organised criminal group".

 

This political criminal case was separated from the identical case against “Karachaganak Support Services” company. Earlier, the police, the NSC and the Prosecutor's Office fabricated a politically motivated criminal case under Article 296 Part 2 ("illegal production, processing, purchase, storage, transportation without intent to sell drugs, psychotropic substances, and their analogues") against Bekizhan MENDYGAZIYEV for the planted bag of marijuana.

 

The political persecution of Bekizhan Mendygaziyev is linked to the charity, human rights and opposition activities of his brother, Barlyk Mendygaziyev. Barlyk Mendygaziyev helps to pay fines, services of lawyers for the activists and provides humanitarian assistance to the families of political prisoners and politically persecuted activists.

 

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Bekizhan Mendygaziyev and an end to political persecution of Bekizhan and all relatives and colleagues of Barlyk Mendygaziyev.

 

We demand that the Human Rights Ombudsman, Elvira Azimova, immediately and publicly respond to the egregious cases of human rights violations against relatives and colleagues of Barlyk Mendygaziyev.

 

We call on the embassies of the US, the EU, the UK and Canada to respond publicly to the political persecution of Barlyk Mendygaziyev's relatives and colleagues.