Ghalym Nurpeisov, a lawyer for jailed Kazakh journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim, said on January 19 that his client was offered a suspended prison term in exchange for agreeing to stop criticizing the government. If he didn't take the deal, he was threatened with a seven-year prison sentence. Nurpeisov said his client rejected the deal. Mukhammedkarim was sent to pretrial detention in June 2023 on a charge of financing an extremist group and participating in the activities of the banned opposition Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan movement, charges that he and his supporters have said are politically motivated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Lawyer Says Investigators Offered Deal To Kazakh Journalist To Stop Criticizing Government
Duman Mukhammedkarim is released from detention in the Almaty region in May.