On 22th September, Kostanay region resident Ilyas Aitzhanov was sentenced to two-years-and-six-months of imprisonment. The activist was charged with inciting hatred and disseminating works glorifying cruelty and violence, on the basis of five anti-Russian and critical to authorities posts he published on his private social media accounts.
The defendant had two accounts on the social network Facebook and two on Instagram, with a different number of followers. According to the findings of expert analysis, he posted there content against the war in Ukraine and Russia’s leadership, as well as negative assessments directed to the Kazakhstani government and President Tokayev. He also expressed his opposition to the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, and showed his support for activists and political prisoners. All of his accounts were considered “private,” meaning only subscribers could view the content. Several of his posts showed “signs of inciting interethnic hatred, sharing videos containing “propaganda promoting a cult of cruelty and violence”, according to the prosecution.
Aitjanov had been under arrest since late July and is being held in a pretrial detention center. He was brought to court under guard on September 8.
Prosecutor Daniyar Naushabek declared that: “Subsequently, Aitzhanov actively posted publications containing negative and offensive statements against persons of Russian nationality and supporters of the Russian Federation, as well as against persons on the territory of Kazakhstan who support the policy of Russia, which contributed to the formation of ethnic hatred and socio-political tension,” .
Naushabek said and cited examples: ‘On April 27, 2025, Aitzhanov posted a publication with the following content: “Russia is the most vile and vile country in the whole world history. By the method of selection, moral freaks were bred there, whose concepts of good and evil are turned inside out. Throughout its history, this nation has been floundering in shit, while trying to drown the whole world in it”, quoting the Russian Philosopher Ilyin. On March 7, 2026, Aitzhanov published a post on Facebook with a video lasting 52 seconds, with the caption: “Kill everyone, down to babies – cute Russian granny.” This video was made in response to a post made by an old woman wanting to “help” Russia win the war.
In the indictment, the prosecutor referred to the conclusion of the psychological and philological examination of May 28, 2026. According to its results, it was established that in the texts of Aitzhanov’s publications “there is information that is characterized by a communicative orientation to incite ethnic hatred.”
He also cited a video showing footage containing “death, bodily harm”and another video with three-half naked men in a bunker. While Aitzhanov explained that it was a way to illustrate his anti-war stance, “so that people know what happens to those who go to war as a way to show”, experts found that the video indicated the presence of the author’s intention aimed at promoting the cult of cruelty.
Ilyas Aitzhanov told the court that he made publications in response to messages from pro-Russian users of social networks. He stressed that he had no intention to incite ethnic hatred.“- With Facebook and Instagram, the negativity went, and I began to respond to it. It is, of course, my mistake that I began to respond to the provocation. Now I understand that it was a provocation,” Aitzhanov said. “In private, I blocked people who wrote negative messages immediately and deleted them, and in publications I replied to them,” Aitzhanov explained to the Prosecutor.
In a second audience, Aitjanov and his state-appointed attorney expressed their intention to enter into a procedural agreement with the prosecutor. The prosecutor’s office refused to conclude a procedural agreement. Yet, Aitzhanov pleaded guilty to receive the minimum sentence. Due to the mutual non-resistance of the parties, the case was considered in an abbreviated manner – without interrogation of witnesses and examination of evidence, since the defendant did not dispute their reliability.
Instead of receiving the minimum sentence (restriction of liberty for a term of two years), Ilyas Aitzhanov was sentenced to two and a half years of imprisonment in a medium-security colony.
PHOTO: by “Nasha Gazeta” newspaper
