The U.S.-based human rights group Freedom Now has condemned the conviction of Zhanbolat Mamai, a prominent Kazakh opposition politician and activist who was handed a suspended six-year prison term on charges of organizing mass unrest, spreading false information, and insulting a government representative.
In its ruling on April 10, the Bostandyq District Court in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, also barred Mamai from activism, journalism, and using social media for six years and ordered him to pay 600,000 tenges ($1,350) in material damages.
Freedom Now Executive Director Maran Turner called Mamai's verdict "the culmination of a long drawn-out case of judicial harassment designed to silence" the politician.
“Although Zhanbolat will soon be released from house arrest after nearly 14 months, his conviction and the lengthy bans on various activities are punishment for and aimed at preventing him from legitimate peaceful political activity," he said.
"His engagement in these activities could lead to a future arrest. Kazakhstan may consider this a solution to sustained international criticism of its actions, but the world is still watching. We call for Zhanbolat’s conviction to be vacated and all restrictions on his activities lifted,” Turner added in the statement, which was issued hours after the court pronounced its ruling.
The 34-year-old Mamai was arrested in late February 2022 on charges of organizing mass riots and knowingly disseminating false information during unprecedented protests in January 2022, charges which he and his supporters reject as politically motivated.
In August, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) called on Kazakh authorities to release Mamai and other political prisoners and stop the criminal prosecution of those who died during the unrest.
Prior to the verdict, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also urged Kazakh authorities to release Mamai and drop all charges against him, calling them politically motivated.
Mamai, known for his harsh criticism of the nation's authoritarian government, has been trying to register the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, but claims he is being prevented from doing so by the government. He says officials only permit parties loyal to the political powers to be legally registered.
In early November, Mamai weas transferred to house arrest.