Photo from the internet. The chief editor of KazTAG, Amir Kassenov, has been detained in Astana
According to Mataev, on Tuesday evening, Kassenov was summoned to participate in investigative actions at the Esil District Police Department, where he was detained. The day before, on Facebook, the journalist reported that he had received a summons to the police at 7:00 PM, while his lawyer, Erlan Makenov, was engaged in investigative actions in another city.
“I stated that I cannot participate in investigative actions without a lawyer, but my arguments were not accepted. I did not receive a summons,” Kassenov said before his detention.
Lawyer Rena Kerimova characterized the detention as an excessive measure, noting that it is too harsh for Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, "Dissemination of knowingly false information." She emphasized that the actions of law enforcement appear to be a reaction to statements about psychological pressure and violations during the investigation.
The case against Kassenov was initiated based on a complaint from Freedom Finance, which was mentioned in KazTAG materials regarding alleged fraudulent schemes, the withdrawal of funds to offshore accounts, and the loss of deposits. One of the sources of information is lawyer Svetlana Oralbaeva.
The KazTAG editorial office also reported that investigative examinations had been conducted for several months, but the agency was not notified about this. The protocol of acquaintance was only formalized on November 21, which, according to lawyer Erlan Makenov, violates procedural norms.
Currently, the agency is awaiting a decision from the investigative court, which is to consider the issue of sanctioning the arrest.
It is worth noting that on December 1, the chief editor of the publication "Orda," Gulnar Bajkenova, was placed under house arrest for two months, following searches at her offices in Almaty and Astana.
The Almaty Police Department reported the initiation of criminal cases "on the facts of disseminating false information."
