January Events: One Sentence Increased in Almaty Akimat Case

On October 15,  the Almaty City Court criminal cases panel announced its decision on the appeal of 11 people. They were charged with storming the Akimat and the Presidential Residence during the January Events, Orda.kz reports.

The court partially granted the prosecutor's motion and dismissed the appeals of the defendants and their lawyers. One of those convicted, Aqjol Zhandarbekov, had his sentence increased to eight years.

The sentences for the following remained unchanged: Arman Alimbayev, Nursultan Baykisiyev, Dauren Bakiyev, Nurtas Karaneev, Kosay Makhanbaev, Rysbek Mamyrov, Serikbol Oryngazin, Abidolla Taubay, Serik Kekilbayev and Tursynbay Alpysbayev.

Most were sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. The exceptions were Kekilbayev and Alpysbayev, whose sentences of one year and nine months were retained.

The trial was held online. Despite the defense's efforts to commute the sentences and replace the prison terms with suspended ones, the court sided with the prosecution.

The prosecutor, in turn, proposed significantly toughening the punishment, requesting ten years in prison for most of the defendants and 12 years for Zhandarbekov.

In June, the Nauryzbay District Court of Almaty found all the defendants guilty.

Zhandarbekov received 16 years in prison, but his term was reduced to four years thanks to the amnesty procedure. The other participants were sentenced to one year and nine months; amnesty was also applied.

Some claimed to have been tortured during the investigation, but the prosecutor's office closed the investigation due to lack of evidence.

Original Author: Alina Pak