October 16 Press Conference on Lawlessness: Almaty Police Report Organizers Not Officially Detained

The Almaty police department stated that the press conference organizers on the “Lawlessness in The Talgar District” were not detained by police, Orda.kz reports.

According to the Almaty PD, the police are not involved in what happened with activist Zharkyn Kurentayev and lawyer Alnur Ilyashev. They had planned to hold the press conference on October 16.

The Almaty Police Department officially states that the information about the alleged detention of participants of the planned press conference is untrue, the city police department said.

The main organizer, activist Zharkyn Kurentayev, said he was not ready to give a detailed comment but promised to provide all the details later.

Meanwhile, an Orda journalist learned that the people who prevented Kurentayev and another event organizer, lawyer Alnur Ilyashev, from holding the press conference were not wearing police uniforms. We are unaware whether they have any connection to law enforcement agencies.

On October 16, Zharkyn Kurentayev and Alnur Ilyashev intended to hold the press conference in Almaty. They planned to draw public attention to possible violations by local officials, including cases of assault, unlawful detentions, and intimidation.

A couple of hours before the event's beginning, Zharkyn Kurentayev claimed the police had detained him. Human rights activist Andrei Grishin reported that Alnur Ilyashev had also been detained.

However, Kurentayev was never taken to the police station, and the police have denied involvement.

Orda.kz is waiting for a detailed comment from the organizers.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny