Activist Aizhan Mameshova Placed Under House Arrest in Almaty

Civil activist Aizhan Mameshova has been placed under house arrest in Almaty, Orda.kz reports.

Her lawyer, Galym Nurpeisov, said that the investigative court made the decision on September 5.

Previously listed as a witness with the right to defense, Mameshova has now been reclassified as a suspect in a case on the “dissemination of knowingly false information.”

Mameshova was detained on September 3. The reason may have been a Facebook post dated April 29, 2025, in which she and other activists reported violations at the Zhanuya orphanage — illegal confiscation of property from pupils, loss of benefits for children with disabilities, and police inaction in investigating crimes, including cases of violence against minors.

The investigation has charged her under Article 274 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, which concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information that could endanger public order or cause significant harm to citizens, organizations, or the state using telecommunications networks.

Penalties include fines, corrective labor, restrictions of liberty, or imprisonment of up to three years.

Her lawyer called the charges unfounded.

In this case, the prosecution is relying on a linguistic examination claiming that her posts create a negative attitude toward prosecutors, law enforcement, and the education system. But that’s at most grounds for a civil defamation case, not a criminal one. Moreover, this article is alternative and does not require arrest. Why the court ordered house arrest remains unclear,
 said Nurpeisov.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva