QONAEV, Kazakhstan -- Independent Kazakh journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim known for his articles critical of the government went on trial on February 12 on extremism charges that he, his supporters, and rights defenders call politically motivated.
A court in the southern town of Qonaev did not allow journalists to attend the trial and agreed to a request by prosecutors to hold the court proceedings behind closed doors.
The court also rejected motions by Mukhammedkarim's lawyer to grant her client an additional 15 days to fully familiarize himself with the case materials as well as allow him to be transferred to house arrest.
Dozens of Mukhammedkarim's supporters gathered in front of the court's building, chanting "Freedom!"
Mukhammedkarim, whose Ne Deidi? (What Do They Say?) YouTube channel is extremely popular in Kazakhstan, was sent to pretrial detention in June 2023 on charges of financing an extremist group and participating in a banned group's activities.
The charges against Mukhammedkarim stem from his online interview with the fugitive banker and outspoken critic of the Kazakh government, Mukhtar Ablyazov, whose Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement was labeled as extremist and banned in the country in March 2018.
If convicted, Mukhammedkarim could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison.
Domestic and international rights organizations have urged Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Mukhammedkarim and immediately release him. Kazakh rights defenders have recognized Mukhammedkarim as "political prisoner."
Rights watchdogs have criticized the authorities in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic for persecuting dissent, but Astana has shrugged the criticism off, saying there are no political prisoners in the country.
Kazakhstan was had been ruled by authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 until current President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev succeeded him in 2019.
Over the past three decades, several opposition figures have been killed and many jailed or forced to flee the country.
Toqaev, who broadened his powers after Nazarbaev and his family left the oil-rich country's political scene following deadly, unprecedented anti-government protests in January 2022, has promised political reforms and more freedoms for citizens.
However, many in Kazakhstan consider the reforms announced by Toqaev to be cosmetic, as a crackdown on dissent has continued even after the president announced his "New Kazakhstan" program.