Seizure of Almaty Airport: Questioning of Defendants Comes to an End

In three months, 41 witnesses have been questioned in court

The Almaty specialized interdistrict criminal court has completed the questioning of the defendants in the case regarding the Almaty airport’s seizure during the January events, an Orda correspondent reports.

Zhanaidar Karmenov, Ermukhamet Shilibayev and Nurlan Dalibayev were questioned yesterday. They are being charged with part 2 of Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Participation in mass riots", as well as part 3 of Article 269 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Attack on buildings, structures, means of communication and connection or their seizure". Dalibayev has also been charged under Article 200 "Illegal possession of a car or other vehicle without the purpose of theft."

Zhanaidar Karmenov was the first to face questioning. Witnesses have previously recognized him. One peculiarity that they remembered is that he wore an airport employee's badge. The acting director of the Kazaeronavigation branch Mukhtar Shakenova described without hesitation what Karmenov was wearing. Senior dispatcher Oleg Nazarov said that Zhanaidar Karmenov said that changes are coming, and the authorities are changing.

According to Zhanaidar Karmenov, he was in Taldykorgan from morning to evening on January 5 attending to family affairs. After returning to Almaty, he set off for work. When Karmenov was driving along Zheltoksan Street (formerly Mira Street), he encountered a large number of people. 

"People from all sides literally fell on my car. They were worked up,"

the defendant recalls.

"When I drove 20-50 meters from Abay Avenue, the door of my car opened. A man in a mask and hood asked me if I was free. When he saw that the front seat of my car was free, he got into the car. When I wanted to ask what was happening, the back door also opened. They had a conversation as if we were going to the airport. They asked me: 'Are you with us or against us?', to which I didn't know what to answer – I was confused. (I- Ed.) nodded,"

said Karmenov.

Karmenov says the attackers were not local. He couldn't see their faces because they were all masked. Karmenov only noticed that one of the guys had a metal object in his hands. Zhanaidar Karmenov stopped in front of the airport barrier. But the passengers didn't let him go.

"They told me to follow them to the airport. Otherwise, I could be left without a car,"

the defendant said.

Karmenov says that a lot of cars were driving towards the airport. And when he was walking towards the barrier, he noticed that most of the people were under the influence of alcohol and held objects similar to sticks, pipes, fittings, etc. The defendant is unable to recall certain moments from that evening. For example, how he does not remember how he got on the platform and drove in a passenger car towards the Kazaeronavigation RSE or how he turned out to have a vest with an airport employee’s badge. 

"I had such a mess in my head at that moment... and most of all I was worried about the car that was left along the road among the crowd,"

he explained.

"I do not know how the vest ended up on me. They say that I allegedly disguised myself, but I had no such intention, I didn't even know that I was wearing this vest. When they addressed me by the name of Aidar, only after that I noticed that I was wearing a badge. Then, in the confusion, I forgot that I had it," he said, adding that "the crowd, which was warmed up with drinks, apparently played a joke like that."

According to Karmenov, he did not know that he had arrived at the Kazaeronavigation building.

"Among those who entered, no one behaved aggressively. There was a noise, everyone was trying to say something, there was a stir. I offered to instruct and asked people to leave the place so that the dispatchers could get to work,"

he says.

At some point, the flight director of the Kazaeronavigation RSE, Abdulkaim Ruziev, according to the defendant, thinking that Karmenov was directing strangers, asked him to get them out of there.

"I told him that I didn't decide anything there and nothing depended on me. (I - Ed.) said: "Turn off the lights, you see that there is a confrontation, do not escalate the situation, the airport is not working anyway." He said that the lights have already been turned off, the airport is no longer working. "Then what's the matter? Keep working." To which he said to me: "It would be good if you stayed here with us." I told him I couldn't. I left the airport around 21:25,"

recalls Karmenov.

Unlike the others, Karmenov was not aware of the arrival of Russian troops. Meanwhile, Nurlan Dalibayev and Ermukhamet Shilibayeva arrived at the airport as soon as they heard that troops were being sent from Russia to shoot people. As they themselves say, the accused wanted to prevent the arrival of the CSTO troops. They were motivated by a sense of patriotism and fear for their people.

None of the witnesses pointed to Nurlan Dalibayev. At the same time, he was not wearing a mask or a hat. He claims to have stayed at the airport for no more than 15-20 minutes and moved calmly, not talking to anyone. But Shilibayev, according to him, raising his voice, tried to stop people who demanded to de-energize the airport. Both Shilibayev and Dalibayev spoke about the pressure from the investigative authorities. They were reportedly forced to testify against each other, receiving promises to overturn the articles imputed against them.

The court debate is expected next week.

"A lot of questions arise before the court. Did this event occur? Are your clients involved? If involved, to what extent? Has the correct legal assessment been given? I will be obliged to consider all these issues in the conference room. I need time for that. I have to make a legally justified decision. The law imposes this on me. I have to write and analyze each of your arguments,"

Judge Martpek Kakimzhanov said.

The judge, noting that the defendant Aigerim Tleuzhnova has a big support group, has requested to warn them not to exert pressure at further court sessions.

Original Author: Zhansaya Aliyeva

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy.