On April 11, a regular meeting on the case of blogger Yrys Zhekshenaliev was held in the Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek. According to his lawyer Nurbek Sydykov, the debate of the parties ended at the meeting.
“We presented to the court that the prosecution grossly violated the law. […] Now on April 19, Yrys Zhekshenaliev will have the last word. The defense side expects him to be acquitted,” he said.
20-year-old blogger Yrys Zhekshenaliev was detained on August 14, 2022 due to the publication of an archival video message by ex-chairman of the State Committee for National Security Abdil Segizbaev on Facebook in the Polit Uznik public website. In that appeal, Segizbaev stated that it was necessary to abandon the development of the Zhetim-Too deposit in the Naryn region and save it for posterity.
A criminal case was opened against Zhekshenaliev under the article “Mass riots” (“Calls for active disobedience to the lawful demands of government officials and for mass riots, as well as calls for violence against citizens”). The state prosecution requested six years in prison for him in this case.
Deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh and human rights activists have repeatedly called on the court to release the blogger, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to completely stop the criminal case against him.