Airport Hostage Taking: Trial Begins in Almaty

The case is being heard in the Turksib District Court. In the dock is 67-year-old Mashrapbek Baratov, who took a hostage at the airport, an Orda.kz correspondent reports from the courtroom.

The accused is being tried under three articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

• Hostage-taking (Article 261, Part 2, Clause 4 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) – punishable by imprisonment for a term of seven to 12 years with confiscation of property
• Hooliganism with the use of weapons (Article 293, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) – a term of three to seven years
• False report of an act of terrorism (Article 273 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan) – a fine of up to 5,000 MCI or imprisonment for up to five years

The third article was brought against the suspect for threatening passengers by claiming that he had a bomb in his backpack. The man has admitted to the charges.

However, he later told the court he had never demanded a plane or money:

They asked me, ‘Where do you want the plane to go?’ I said I didn’t need a plane, he said, claiming he only wanted to enter the waiting area for a few minutes. 

The judge paused the hearing for 20 minutes, noting that the charge of hostage-taking requires clear demands.

Baratov’s lawyer argued the charge does not apply if no demands were made. The judge expressed surprise, pointing out that the case moved quickly because the defendant initially confessed.

After the pause, it was decided to postpone the hearing until April 9th.

On March 7, 2025, in the domestic flights terminal, Mashrapbek Baratov, armed with a kitchen knife, attacked an airport employee. Eyewitness Musa Abdraim heroically saved the woman.

The woman, Botagoz Mukhtarova, also participates in the first court hearing.

Baratov has a previous conviction. In December 2024, he was placed under house arrest for assaulting a woman on a bus. The accused claimed in court he was "defending elderly women."

Deputy Interior Minister Sanjar Adilov said that police officers followed protocol during the incident and that all airport services are undergoing inspection.

Original Author: Aliya Askarova