Convicted activist Timur Danebaev and other prisoners who disagree with the court's acquittal in the torture case have gone on a hunger strike, KazTAG reports .

"We are shocked that the defendants were acquitted. There are only 12 of them in the dock, and there should have been 25. We are not surprised by this result. We do not agree with the verdict. We are going on a hunger strike," Timur Danebaev said in a video published on the Qaharman Human Rights Foundation's Instagram page. Two other prisoners standing next to Danebaev added that they supported the activist's statement.

The Committee of the Criminal Executive System confirmed that the convicts had contacted the administration of the institution with a statement refusing to eat due to disagreement with the court's decision.

"The convicts applied to the administration of the institution with a statement about refusing to eat due to disagreement with the court's decision. They are under the supervision of medical workers. An official investigation has been ordered based on the video recording," the press service of the KUIS reported.

What happened

The court acquitted 12 employees of the Committee of the Criminal-Executive System (KUIS). They were previously charged with torturing a convict by a group of people on the territory of the Atbasar colony.

The criminal case was heard by the Akmola Region Court with the participation of jurors. The latter returned a verdict of not guilty of the defendants, the court's press service reported .

Journalists note that earlier the state prosecutor asked the court to sentence the defendants to six years in prison, and for one of them the prosecutor requested seven years in prison.

In 2023, a video of alleged torture of prisoner Timur Danebaev in the Atbasar colony was distributed online. The situation caused a wide public outcry. After which the leadership of the KUIS of the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the dismissal of 11 people captured on the video. And the head of the DUIS, his deputy and the head of the colony will be suspended from their positions. A criminal case was also opened . The trial of 12 employees of the correctional institution began in the summer of 2024.

   

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