Court Fines Bakhytzhan Toregozhina for Post about Marat Zhylanbayev

On July 31, 2025, the Almaty Special Interdistrict Administrative Court found human rights defender Bakhytzhan Toregozhina guilty of disseminating false information, Orda.kz reports.

She was fined 20 MCI, equivalent to 78.6 thousand tenge.

The case stemmed from a Facebook post in which Toregozhina claimed that the health of political activist and marathon runner Marat Zhylanbayev — currently serving a prison sentence — had deteriorated.

The defense sought to exclude the report and protocol that formed the basis of the case, citing procedural violations and pressure on the inspector.

The court dismissed the motion.

Toregozhina’s lawyers also requested that Zhylanbayev be summoned to testify. The judge denied this as well. According to the human rights activist, Zhylanbayev has resumed a hunger strike due to the conditions of his detention, and his weight has dropped to a critical level.

The district police officer who filed the report argued that the post “influences public perception of the penal system” and “is not backed by factual evidence.”

He stated that Zhylanbayev reads, exercises, and is in satisfactory condition.

Original Author: Islam Aden