Atyrau Court Acquits Regional Deputy Accused of Assaulting Activist

In Atyrau, the court acquitted regional maslikhat deputy Syrymbek Sarsembayev, who was accused of assaulting public activist Sandugash Kukenova, an Orda.kz correspondent reports.

Initially, Kukenova herself was found guilty in the case — the court ruled that she had used force against the deputy. The woman was fined nearly 400,000 tenge. However, following that decision, the activist filed a counter-complaint, claiming she had suffered at the hands of the deputy.

In court, the prosecutor requested that Syrymbek Sarsembayev be fined, but the court ruled in favor of the defendant.

The initiator of the conflict was the victim herself, who pushed the defendant, prevented him from leaving the office, the defendant did not use violence against her, defending himself, he tried to leave the office,
the court established. 

As a result, the deputy was acquitted.

The incident began with a Facebook post. Sarsembayev had praised a colleague for helping to fight floods in Qulsary. Kukenova responded critically.

Later, she suggested discussing the situation in person. During the meeting, tensions escalated, and the verbal altercation reportedly turned physical.

Original Author: Daniel Arturov