Trial of Qaznews24 Creator Resumes in Nauryzbay District Court

On April 9, the Nauryzbay District Court began hearings in the case of Temirlan Yensebek, creator of the satirical Instagram page Qaznews24, Orda.kz reports.

He has been charged with inciting ethnic discord.

The hearing, chaired by Judge Beynegul Kaysina, started at 11:00 a.m. in person, though Temirlan was not brought to court and is participating via video link from the detention center.

Previous hearings had been delayed. The case was initially assigned to the Almaly Court. Following a request from state prosecutor Ainash Zhuaspayeva to move the case to the district where the offense allegedly occurred, the trial was reassigned to Nauryzbay District.

Several journalists were not allowed into the courtroom, despite assurances from the court press office that media were already present. From outside the room, reporters could be heard calling out, “Ashyk sot!” — “Open court!” Police at the scene did not respond to requests to allow access, and live streaming of the hearing was also prohibited.

In comments to Orda.kz, defense attorney Zhanara Balgabaeva said Temirlan is still unclear about the reasons for his isolation and noted that he faced interruptions during earlier remote hearings:

Temirlan specifically notes that online, they deliberately interfered with his trial, as they looked in every time, every minute, and asked: 'Are you okay? Are you okay?' By expressing their concerns, they interfered with the trial, he was distracted, did not hear what I was saying, what the court was saying. He believes that all of this was intentional.

Orda.kz will continue monitoring developments in the case.

The criminal case against Yensebek stems from a satirical post that referenced Tina Kandelaki and the song "Yo, Orystar."

Original Author: Alina Pak