67-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Hostage Incident at Almaty Airport

A court in Almaty has sentenced 67-year-old Mashrapbek Baratov to 11 years in a medium-security prison for taking an airport employee hostage on March 7, Orda.kz reports.

Baratov's time spent in pretrial detention will be counted with a coefficient of 1.5 days per actual day served

The sentence includes a cumulative term under three criminal charges:

• Taking a hostage
  
• Hooliganism involving a weapon
  
• False report of a terrorist act

Despite pleading guilty, the court noted ambiguity around one of the charges. Under Kazakhstan’s criminal code, hostage-taking typically requires a clear demand or objective, which Baratov reportedly did not express during the incident.

The man who intervened and helped free the hostage, Musa Abdraim, was formally recognized as a victim in the case, although Abdraim himself stated in court that he held no grievances against Baratov.

President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev later awarded Abdraim for his bravery.

The case was initially returned to prosecutors due to procedural violations, but resumed after a follow-up investigation. The charges remained unchanged.

On July 15, prosecutors requested a 10.5-year sentence. During his final statement, Baratov apologized and asked the court to consider his age and health. He claimed his actions were driven by severe stress over delayed wages and referenced past trauma from his military service in Afghanistan.

Baratov has a known history of violent behavior. In late 2024, he was involved in an incident where he struck a woman on a bus in Almaty for "talking too loudly."

Original Author: Alexandra Mokhireva