Man Distributes Extremist Videos from Prison, Sentenced to Nine Years

A man distributed videos calling for jihad directly from prison. The court in Semey charged him with promoting terrorism, Orda.kz reports.

While held in Prison Colony No. 20, the convicted man uploaded videos and texts of extremist religious content via WhatsApp and Telegram:

He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, “Propaganda of terrorism using the media and telecommunications networks." 

Taking into account recidivism and the seriousness of the offence, he was sentenced to nine years in a maximum-security penal colony, making his overall sentence ten years.

The sentence has not yet entered into force.

Earlier, two residents of southern Kazakhstan were convicted in the Turkistan region for calling for the terrorist movements Muslim Brotherhood* and Hizb ut‑Tahrir*, banned in Kazakhstan. One created a Telegram channel posting videos of banned organisations, and another distributed extremist materials via WhatsApp and Facebook.

Both received seven-year sentences in a maximum-security penal colony.

As a reminder, in the first six months of 2025, more than 60 persons, including three foreigners, were convicted in Kazakhstan for promoting terrorism and extremism; among them were residents of Shymkent and Astana who received seven- to eight-year prison terms for disseminating radical ideas and inciting violence.

Original Author: Ruslan Loginov

*Hizb ut-Tahrir has been officially banned in Kazakhstan since March 28, 2005. The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned in Kazakhstan since March 15, 2005, following a judgment by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has been banned in Kazakhstan since October 15, 2004, following a decision by the Supreme Court.