Court Upholds Sentences for Former Officers Convicted of Torture During January Events

The Court of Appeal has issued a decision in the case concerning torture at a detention facility in Koshmambet during the January 2022 events, Orda.kz reports.

On June 10, the Konayev City Court upheld the verdict against six former police officers. They were convicted of torturing 44 individuals, including citizens of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, following the unrest.

On January 7, 2022, officers from the National Security Committee (KNB) carried out an operation to detain participants in the unrest in Almaty. A checkpoint was established on the Almaty–Bishkek highway, where 99 people were detained, including foreign nationals.

The detainees were transferred to a special detention center in the village of Koshmambet, which was not officially operational at the time. According to testimony, the facility lacked water and heating. Upon arrival, detainees were met by armed individuals — some in uniform, others in civilian clothing and bulletproof vests.

Victims reported being assaulted, denied food and water for nearly three days, and subjected to various forms of physical abuse — including beatings with chains, batons, and rifle butts. Some were forced to pull out their beards.

Among those affected was Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzahunov.

The case involved the following former officers:

• Berik Abilbekov — former deputy head of the Almaty Department of Internal Affairs
  
• Serik Turpanbayev — former deputy head of the Kaskelen Police Department
  
• Nursultan Khamitov — former head of the Investigative Department of the Qarasay District Department of Internal Affairs
  
• Bauyrzhan Sopakov — head of the special detention facility in Koshmambet
  
• Arlan Shoibekov — security guard at the same facility
  
• Olzhas Aidarkhanov — a trainee who later joined the department for combating organized crime

All six were found guilty of torture, cruel treatment, and abuse of power. Each received a sentence of three years in prison. The former officers denied wrongdoing and appealed the verdict, but the court upheld the original

The court rejected our complaint about the incorrect classification of the crime, as well as the fact that only three of the 23 Uzbek citizens we are defending received compensation. In addition, the court refused to consider the issue of bringing to criminal responsibility one of the witnesses and a convicted ex-police officer for forced labor. People who were subjected to mass torture became victims of human trafficking in prison. If the state refuses to investigate this, we will appeal to the UN,
said Aina Shormanbaeva, the lawyer representing several of the victims, in a comment to Orda.kz. 

Original Author: Asem Zhuken