In Shymkent, blogger Aray Yesenbek was sentenced to five years in prison for extortion.
The high-profile detention occurred in November last year. According to the investigation, Yesenbek previously worked as a press secretary for the ex-akim of the city, and after leaving public service, he engaged in private media activities, launching his own platforms and receiving government orders for information support.
As established by the court, over time he expressed dissatisfaction with the reduction in funding and began demanding 10 million tenge from a familiar official, threatening to publish compromising materials on his resources.
The official agreed to the conditions, but later turned to law enforcement agencies. Yesenbek was detained at the moment of transferring the money.
The court found him guilty under Part 4 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Extortion”) and sentenced him to five years in prison.
The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
