Three Years in a Penal Colony Sought for Kazakh Student Over Political Speech in Russia

The prosecution is insisting on a custodial sentence despite the defendant’s guilty plea and remorse, Orda.kz reports.

In St. Petersburg, a special procedure hearing has concluded in the case of Kazakhstani citizen Garry Azaryan. Prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison term, even though the offence could be punished with a fine, and the former St. Petersburg State University student has already spent eight months in pre-trial detention.

The investigation considers it an aggravating factor that the speech was made during the mobilization period. The defense, in turn, emphasizes that the young man has repented and complied with all investigative requirements.

«I want to return to society, be useful and serve it, to show that I have changed and am no longer inclined toward radical, marginal, and destructive actions,» he said in his final statement 

Earlier, we reported that Kazakhstani student Garry Azaryan was detained in 2025 after police reviewed the performance «Science Is Dead» and traced it to the «Rabochaya Vlast» congress. At the time, investigators claimed that the St. Petersburg State University student had called for a change of the political system and for mass killings. Representatives of the movement described the case as fabricated and demanded international protection for the Kazakhstani citizen.

Original author: Ruslan Loginov