Trial Begins Over Blogger's Locust Claims Against Agriculture Ministry

On June 4, a trial began in Astana on the administrative lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Agriculture against Kirill Pavlov, who runs the Telegram channel “Kazakh Chuvash,” Orda.kz reports.

The Ministry accuses the blogger of disseminating false information on social media, particularly regarding his post about locust infestations in farmers’ fields and the government’s response.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture's reports for July 2024, 96 thousand hectares have been treated against locust. It looks good, until you find out that the locust's distribution area in the region is over five million hectares. That is, they treated only about two percent, but reported it as a great offensive,
the post reads. 

The Ministry claims the information is inaccurate and has harmed the agency’s reputation. In court, a Ministry representative asked Pavlov about the sources he uses for his Telegram posts.

Lawyer Venera Tapayeva questioned whether he was qualified to comment on agriculture-related topics.

Are you informing the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan that you are solving Kazakhstan's issues at the American level? This is either a leak of information or destabilization,
the lawyer said, referring to Pavlov’s alleged cooperation with the United States. 

The judge interrupted the line of questioning and dismissed it from the hearing. The court also heard from the Ministry’s representatives and witnesses.

The proceedings will continue today, June 5.

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva