North Kazakhstan Court Grants Deferral in Ethnic Discord Case of Teacher Following Childbirth

The North Kazakhstan Regional Court has reviewed the appeal of 35-year-old teacher Zhanslu Darhambaeva, who was sentenced to two years in prison for inciting ethnic discord, Orda.kz reports.

Between the date of sentencing and the appeal, Darhambayeva gave birth to a daughter.

The case drew public attention across Kazakhstan. The teacher had been convicted of inciting ethnic discord after publishing several TikTok videos in January, in which she addressed ethnic Russians in language the court deemed offensive:

She began to publicly insult people of Russian ethnicity in an indecent manner, expressing a negative and dismissive attitude towards them, violating the norms of public morality, indicating her negative attitude towards representatives of Russian ethnicity, namely: 'We have been through so much, we have had so many losses, so many...famine, and only now are we getting back on our feet, starting to live normally, and you are going crazy, you Russian *******, there is no place for you here... How annoying you are! Those Kazakhs who can hear me now, teach Russians because they are stupid, dumb!..'
 the case file states

On May 20, she was sentenced to two years in a penal colony. Her lawyers and family members considered the ruling by Judge Galiya Ertaeva of the Gabit Musrepov District Court too severe and filed an immediate appeal.

On June 11, Darhambayeva gave birth via cesarean section at a perinatal center.

A week later, the regional court considered her appeal.

Zh. Darkhambaeva's appeals were accessible to a wide range of Internet users — more than half a million people are subscribed to messengers where the illegal posts were published. Such actions are aimed at undermining interethnic harmony and the unity of the people, which are the foundation of our state. The Constitution prohibits any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion. Therefore, the law provides for punishment for such extremist crimes. Everyone is equal before the law and the court, regardless of gender, age and social status,
 the regional court said in a statement.

The court upheld the original verdict, stating that Darhambayeva’s guilt had been fully established and the sentence was legally justified.

At the same time, according to the medical report received by the court, she currently needs treatment due to the deterioration of her health after birth. The convicted woman herself fully admitted her guilt in the appellate court, expressed remorse over her actions, and asked the court to apply a deferment of punishment due to the birth of her child and her health,
 the court added.

Taking these factors into account, the appellate court granted Darhambaeva a two-year deferral of her sentence.

However, she was warned that the deferral would be revoked if she committed another offense.

Original Author: Kristina Yusicheva