Dikiy Arman Case: Videos from Closed Trial Emerge Online

Before the verdict announcement in the case of Arman Dzhumageldiev, footage from the court hearings appeared on the Internet.

The trial has been held behind closed doors; the dissemination of information voiced in court is prohibited.

An Orda.kz correspondent contacted the defendant's lawyer to look into the situation.

Judging by the date of the first posts on YouTube, the “Arman Dzhumagildiev” channel was created on December 14, after the court debates, where 20 years were requested for Dzhumagildiev.

The channel description says the following:

This channel was created to protect the freedom, honor and dignity of those unjustly accused of the 'January Events.' Reliable materials concerning those days will be published here.

Eight videos have now been published there; most are of closed court hearings. 

The footage includes speeches by Dzhumageldiev and KNB Colonel Ruslan Iskakov and the testimony of another defendant, Berdakh Beketov.

The published materials also contain a video of the January Events, where Dzhumageldiev and his supporters, calling themselves “guardsmen,” disarm a man holding a shotgun.

Orda.kz spoke with his lawyer, Oleg Chernov, about whether Arman Dzhumageldiev is involved:

I don't know if he has anything to do with this. I don't know who owns the channel and who is behind these materials, Chernov replied.

The lawyer also recalled that his client is in a pre-trial detention facility and, per the law, does not have access to the Internet.

Also, he is sitting in the pre-trial detention facility of the National Security Committee. The conditions there are stricter than in other institutions, Chernov added.

The footage was also published on other platforms. Several such videos appeared on Dikiy Arman's personal Instagram page.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin