Qantar: Former Police Officers Found Guilty in January 2022 Torture Case

Former police officers have been convicted of torturing detainees during Kazakhstan's January 2022 events, reports an Orda.kz correspondent from the courtroom.

The trial began in September 2023 and involved 44 victims, including renowned Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzahunov and citizens from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

Though all defendants maintained their innocence, Judge Dinmukhamed Adaibayev sentenced six officers to three years in medium-security prison: former Almaty PD deputy head Berik Abilbekov and former Karasay UP employees Serik Turpanbaev, Nursultan Khamitov, Bauyrzhan Sopanov, Arman Shoibekov, and Olzhas Aidarkhanov (a former anti-organized crime unit officer).

All were stripped of their ranks.

The convictions fall under Article 146 (cruel treatment and torture) and Article 362 (exceeding authority) of Kazakhstan's Criminal Code.

The court partially granted victims' civil claims. Vikram Ruzahunov will receive five million tenge in moral damages.

What Happened in Koshmambet?

On January 7, 2022, the KNB Border Service conducted an operation to find Almaty riot participants.

They established a checkpoint on the Almaty-Bishkek highway, detaining 99 people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The detainees were taken to an inactive detention center in the Koshmambet village, a facility lacking water, heating, and basic amenities.

Victims spoke about being forced through a "living corridor" of about 30 armed officers with batons upon arrival.

For three days, detainees were denied food and water while enduring systematic beatings with truncheons, rifle butts, and chains.

Some were forced to pull out their beards.

Kyrgyz jazz musician Vikram Ruzahunov reported severe beatings at the detention center.

Fearing for his life, he followed police demands to falsely confess to participating in paid protests in Almaty.

The former officers have claimed their actions were directed from Astana, insisting they only provided security at the facility, which, though officially under their jurisdiction, was controlled by the National Security Committee (KNB).

Fellow law enforcement gathered at the Almaty region's specialized inter-district criminal court to support their colleagues.

Original Author: Aliya Askarova