Update by Law Enforcement on Investigation into Kazakhstan’s Tragic January: More Than 30,000 Investigative Actions Conducted in Cases of Special Prosecutors
Nur-Sultan, 30 June 2022 – Yeldos Kilymzhanov, Deputy Head of the First Service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan, and Sanzhar Adilov, head of the investigative department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, provided another update on the investigation into the tragic events in early January in Kazakhstan.
Yeldos Kilymzhanov informed that 58 criminal cases on riots and 8 acts of terrorism are being processed by special prosecutors. He added that 392 criminal cases have been sent to the court, while 445 persons have been convicted. The speaker noted that real terms of imprisonment were given to 46 defendants who committed serious crimes related to inflicting violence on government officials, destruction of property, who did not compensate for the damage and had an outstanding criminal record. The criminal acts, including arson, looting, destruction of property. Attacks on police stations, and acts of terrorism, were registered in the cities of Almaty and Shymkent, as well as the Aktobe, Atyrau, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Qyzylorda, and Zhambyl Oblasts (provinces).
The representative of the General Prosecutor's Office added there are currently 514 suspects in custody. Kilymzhanov announced that more than 30,000 investigative actions have been carried out in cases of special prosecutors, including more than 3,000 expert examinations.
Fellow speaker Sanzhar Adilov informed that as of today, 516 criminal cases are under investigation by the internal affairs investigators, in which 14 persons are in custody. The speaker added that 346 cases against 567 suspects were sent to court with indictments, noting that most of them are involved in theft during riots (424 persons), illegal possession of weapons (45), theft of weapons (38), theft of vehicles (10), robberies (9) and hooliganism (6). Adilov also stated that the courts have convicted 388 persons.
As emphasized during previous briefings, it was noted once again that the legality and observance of the rights of citizens during the investigation is being ensured by the representatives of the law enforcement.
The representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that to date, 1,640 weapons have been found and seized by the police. At the same time, criminals are still in possession of more than 2,114 stolen weapons.