Update by Law Enforcement on Investigation into Kazakhstan’s Tragic January: Perpetrators of Torture Incidents Persecuted by Law
Nur-Sultan, 20 June 2022 – Serik Shalabayev, Head of the Criminal Prosecution Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan, and Sanzhar Adilov, Head of the Department of Investigation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, provided today another update on the investigation into the tragic events in early January in Kazakhstan.
Shalabayev informed that to date, 392 criminal cases have been sent to court, and 433 persons have been sentenced. He added that 46 defendants who committed serious crimes were sentenced to real terms of imprisonment. Overall, 514 suspects are being held in custody in all criminal cases. The speaker also stated that special prosecutors are investigating 9 criminal cases involving heads of various regional departments in law enforcement agencies. All of them are considered suspects.
The representative of the Prosecutor General’s Office announced that 27 organisers of crimes have been identified in various regions of the country, including those who organised the attack on the Almaty airport and the attempt to seize the Koktobe TV tower.
Shalabayev emphasized that particular attention is being paid to criminal cases related to unlawful methods of investigation. In this regard, 8 high-profile cases are being investigated by special prosecutors, involving 15 members of special and law enforcement agencies who are considered suspects. 9 of them are in custody. In relation to this, the speaker also stated that the protection of the constitutional rights of citizens in criminal proceedings is one of the main priorities of the state prosecutor’s office. He noted the prosecutors check pre-trial detention centers and other relevant premises on a daily basis, adding that proper detention conditions are ensured for all detainees.
“In particular, 25 persons were recognized as victims in the case of torture with a hot steam iron in the Almaty region. All complainants described a similar method of torture. As a result of operational investigations, special prosecutors established the involvement of five police officers. Three of them have confessed. Investigative actions were completed in respect of two officers of the Department of the National Security Committee of the Almaty region. They are suspected of beating a detainee, which resulted in his death. It should be noted that criminal cases of torture are characterized by specific features of the investigation. Most victims cannot identify the persons involved, as they were wearing masks or were not wearing uniforms. There is no video footage in the cases because the equipment was damaged as a result of attacks on police buildings. Despite this, a full range of investigative and procedural actions for the collection of evidence is ensured. In all cases, investigators use methods of investigation of torture in accordance with international standards of human rights protection,” Shalabayev explained.
Adilov informed that as of today, 553 criminal cases against 56 suspects are under investigation by internal affairs investigators. He added that investigators have completed and sent to court 344 criminal cases against 565 defendants, noting that the majority of such cases are related to theft of other people’s property, illegal possession of weapons, and theft of weapons. Adilov also informed that the courts have convicted 382 persons, of which 46 were sentenced to imprisonment. 332 defendants were released from custody following a court verdict, while 14 persons suspected of committing serious crimes remain in custody.
The representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also announced that to date, 1,626 stolen weapons have been found and seized by the police. At the same time, criminals could still be in possession of more than 2,000 weapons stolen during the January unrest.