Almaty Students Face Criminal Case After Victory Day Walk With Flags

A criminal case has been opened in Almaty after a group of university students walked through the city with flags on Victory Day, Orda.kz reports.

Relatives of the detainees told Orda.kz that the young people were detained in the city center. They were carrying the flags of the United States and Ukraine, as well as symbols linked to the Alash party and associated with Aron Atabek.

The applicants said the walk was not a rally or picket. According to them, the participants did not carry posters or shout slogans. They said the students were detained after complaints from passers-by.

At the same time, pro-Russian media outlets and channels began spreading claims that called the students extremists and described Atabek’s flag as the symbol of a banned association. According to the authors of the appeal to Orda.kz, this may be disinformation and a substitution of concepts.

The Almaty Police Department told Orda.kz in response to a request that a pre-trial investigation had been launched into the incident. Police did not answer additional questions about the young people.

Original author: Eva Golovintseva

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