One of suspects in attempted murder of Kazakh opposition journalist in Kyiv turns himself in in Kazakhstan

Ukrainska Pravda
·2 min read
Collage: Ukrainska Pravda
Collage: Ukrainska Pravda

Altai Zhakanbayev, one of the suspects in the attempted murder of journalist Aidos Sadykov, has been detained in Kazakhstan after he himself appealed to the police.

Source: General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Quote: "The law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, demonstrating efficiency and professionalism, identified the perpetrators of this crime in the shortest possible time.

The General Prosecutor's Office sent an international investigative order to the relevant authorities of Ukraine to provide the criminal case file on the involvement of Zhakanbayev and Karatayev in the crime."

Details: The General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported that on 21 June, Zhakanbayev independently appealed to the internal affairs bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where he was interrogated on the circumstances of the case.

He was detained on suspicion of committing this crime on the same day.

The second suspect, Meiram Karatayev, is wanted.

For reference: Aidos and Natalya Sadykov moved from Kazakhstan to Kyiv in 2014. Criminal charges have been brought against Aidos Sadykov in Kazakhstan which he says are politically motivated.

The Sadykovs obtained refugee status in Ukraine and ran their own YouTube channel, Base (Бәсе). They are critical of the Kazakh authorities and oligarchs and were supportive of the protests that took place in Kazakhstan in 2022.

The Kazakh authorities placed Aidos and Natalya Sadykov on the wanted list in the autumn of 2023, accusing them of inciting hatred.

Background:

  • In Kyiv, in the Shevchenkivskyi District, on the afternoon of 18 June, an unknown person approached a car and shot at Kazakh opposition journalist Aidos Sadykov, who was in the car.

  • The wife of opposition Kazakh journalist Aidos Sadykov, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda, said that her husband is in intensive care in serious condition. She is also convinced that Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was involved in the murder attempt.

  • Later, it became known that two citizens of Kazakhstan suspected of the attempted murder of Sadykov crossed the border with Moldova on the day of the crime and had been put on the international wanted list.

  • Tokayev, commenting on the attack on Sadykov in Kyiv on 18 June, said that, if necessary, the official authorities of Kazakhstan are ready to join the investigation.

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