Kazakhstani Journalists Returning From Ukraine Detained at Astana Airport

Journalists returning from Ukraine were detained at Astana Airport, but were soon released. Border guards returned their documents and apologized without providing an explanation, Orda.kz reports.

Lukpan Akhmedyarov, Raul Uporov and camera operator Yerkebulan Gapuov were detained at passport control after returning from Ukraine. According to Akhmedyarov, after passing through control, a man in civilian clothes approached them and introduced himself as a border guard. The journalist wrote that their passports were taken away and they were informed that a representative of the National Security Committee (KNB) would have a conversation with them.

According to him, in connection with political events in the world, a National Security Committee employee will arrive to interrogate us. We're waiting for him. Our passports were taken away from us.Akhmedyarov wrote. 

Raul Uporov also said that their documents were seized immediately upon arrival. When he asked about the reasons for the delay, the employees replied that it was related to the geopolitical situation and their trip to Ukraine. Uporov noted that he had been there before and that no such questions had been asked then.

I'm sorry, but we received an instruction. A KNB employee should have a conversation with you. We are waiting.he posted. 

The editorial board sent an official request to the KNB, but at the time of publication, they had not received a response.

It later became known that the journalists had been released. Their passports were returned to them and they were offered an apology, but the reasons for what happened were not explained.

We were detained, and now we've been released. They apologised and said: "I'm sorry it happened that way." But what happened? Why did they detain us? No one has explained anything to us. Our passports have been returned. Anyway, let's go. "Welcome to Kazakhstan!". they said. 

Recall that in early July, Akhmedyarov's "Just Journalism" project page disappeared from Instagram. The journalist claimed that the account was deleted without explanation within a few minutes. Almost immediately after that, a fake profile with the same logo and some of the same content appeared online.

A criminal case was also opened against Akhmedyarov after a resident of Uralsk filed a complaint. Later, the woman admitted that she had written the complaint under pressure from the police, who had interrogated her and threatened her with problems at work. Akhmedyarov published audio recordings which he claims confirm her words. The journalist himself linked what was happening to his work.

Original author: Saule Abdykamit

Read also:

• Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov Says His YouTube Channel Has Been Removed
• "Adil Soz" Calls for Closure of Case Against Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov
• Police Comment on Detention of Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov in Astana