The Supreme Court of Kazakhstan on March 14 exonerated activist Zhanmurat Ashtaev, who was sentenced to more than three years in prison in July on a charge of participating in unrest in January 2022. The court also ruled that a mass amnesty announced for participants in the anti-government protests, which turned deadly, must be applied to another activist, Lazzat Dosmambetova, who was sentenced along with Ashtaev on the same charge. A third activist jailed in the case last year, Qairat Sultanbek, was released earlier due to the amnesty. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakhstan's Supreme Court Exonerates Jailed Activist
(Left to right) Qairat Sultanbek, Zhanmurat Ashtaev, and Lazzat Dosmambetova in Shymkent on July 13, 2022.