Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov Shares Details About Case

Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov has revealed new details regarding the criminal case being investigated by the police of West Kazakhstan, Orda.kz reports.

Speaking on the YouTube channel “Just Journalism,” Akhmedyarov stated that he is currently considered a witness with the right to defense. He also shared audio recordings of a conversation with the woman who filed the complaint, in which she admitted to acting under pressure.

The case stems from a report submitted by the Oral resident who had previously contacted Akhmedyarov for help. She expressed concern that her brother, who had gone to Russia for work, was being pressured to sign a military contract and potentially sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.

On April 8, she contacted me. She told me about her brother, who had gone to Russia to earn money and who was being pressured into signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. On the evening of the 9th, she deleted all the correspondence and wrote a text message that she allegedly had not said any of this. On the 10th, I was detained, taken to the police, and questioned. On the 11th, the questioning continued. And on April 12, this woman herself called me and told me that in fact she had written the statement under pressure from the police, who had literally forced her to write it,
Akhmedyarov said. 

In the alleged recording, the woman confirms that she was held and questioned on April 9 for four hours.

She said she was treated as a suspect, photographed, and fingerprinted.

They told me to write this. They scared me that you would write a statement against me, and I would be held accountable for false information. Yes, that's what they said: if I don't write a statement, Lukpan will, and I will be tried. How did I know? Without understanding, I wrote a statement because I gave you the information. We are uneducated people. They said that this is how it should be - I did it,
 she said.

The woman also expressed gratitude to Akhmedyarov, saying her brother ultimately returned home safely and crediting the journalist’s work for helping to draw official attention to the case.

My brother came home. Nurbol said that many remained there, in Russia. Won't our ministers bring them home? Thanks to you, the ministers called us, Nurbol was found, recovered, and returned home. Thanks to you, he is home. Thank you very much. Now I don't know what to do. How can I help you? In court, I will tell the whole truth, that I was forced to write a statement.

Akhmedyarov said he urged her to withdraw the complaint and avoid court proceedings. She responded that police had visited her workplace several times, pressuring her and prompting her employer to threaten termination.

Reportedly, she said she would withdraw her statement.

As of April 15,  the case had not yet been closed. Akhmedyarov said he had been informed that the woman and her employer were brought in for questioning again, and afterward they appeared visibly shaken and unwilling to speak further.

The women came out of there very frightened and no longer want to talk about anything,
Akhmedyarov said. 

Akhmedyarov was detained in Astana on April 10, 2025, while filming. Akhmedyarov has gained attention in recent months for documenting the involvement of ethnic Kazakhs in the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

Original Author: Aliya Askarova