Almaty: Journalist Detained over Single-person Picket in Support of Temirlan Yensebek

On Sunday, January 19, journalist Rus Biketov, the former editor-in-chief of Art of Her, went on a solo picket outside the Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre building in Almaty, Orda.kz reports.

He spoke out against the detention of the author of the satirical media QazNews24, Temirlan Yensebek. 

My country is sick. Seriously. For a long time. On Sunday, January 19, I will go on a solo picket on Panfilov Street near the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, he wrote a day earlier on Instagram.

Rus Biketov stood with a paper poster in his hands for five minutes, and then police officers approached him.

Despite the objections of the journalists present, the young man was taken to a police car. People in black uniforms and masks were also present.

Biketov was reportedly taken to the police department of the Almaly district. 

However, the police department denies this, writes The Village Kazakhstan.

Biketov was later found guilty of violating the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the procedure for organizing and holding peaceful assemblies.

The trial lasted less than five minutes.

The journalist received 15 days of arrest, writes The Village Kazakhstan.

Article 488 of the Administrative Offenses Code, under which Biketov was tried, provides for up to 15 days of administrative arrest or a fine of 30 MCI.

On Saturday, January 18, a court issued a 2-month custody sentence to Temirlan Yensebek.

A criminal case is being investigated against him for inciting ethnic discord through social networks.

Original Author: Rimma Karatayeva