Photo: yuz.uz
The Almaly District Court of Almaty has sentenced five activists who opposed the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan to four years of restricted freedom each. Prosecutors had requested five-year prison terms, Orda.kz reports.
According to the outlet, Aidar Mubarakov, Nurlan Zhауylbayev, Fazylzhan Sydykov, Nurlan Temirgaliev, and Zhanat Kazakbai were accused of attempting to organize mass unrest. The alleged protest was planned for October 6 of last year, the day of the referendum on building a nuclear power plant in the republic.
Investigators claimed the activists intended to incite riots involving violence, arson, property destruction, and the use of weapons and explosives, resisting authorities with force.
The defendants—men of pre-retirement and retirement age—denied the charges. They admitted only to opposing the nuclear project, insisting they had no intention of staging riots. Some suggested their prosecution was politically motivated. Defense lawyers argued that security forces had no material evidence against the accused.
Judge Yernar Kasymbekov ultimately sentenced each of the defendants to four years of restricted freedom. The verdict was met with applause from citizens present in the courtroom, local media reported.
Ahead of the October 6, 2024 referendum on the nuclear project, local administrations in six Kazakh cities—Almaty, Aktobe, Pavlodar, Petropavlovsk, Uralsk, and Shymkent—denied activists permission to hold protests against the power plant. Nevertheless, demonstrations went ahead, leading to mass detentions. In Almaty alone, more than ten people were taken to police stations, with five of them eventually becoming defendants in the criminal case.
On October 7, 2024, Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission announced that more than 71 percent of voters supported the construction of a nuclear power plant.
