Court finds suspect behind attacks on journalists mentally ill 

An Almaty court found on Wednesday that the main suspect behind the string of attacks on independent journalists was mentally ill. 

The court ruled that in carrying out his acts Arkadiy Klebanov “was in a state of insanity and could not be aware of his actions and the danger they posed to the public”. 

“The defendant is deemed insane and is to be placed in a mental hospital for forced treatment,» the court said in a statement. 

Beginning in autumn last year, several independent journalists and media organisations received threats, their websites and email and social media accounts were hacked, and their personal data was stolen and published online. In January unknown attackers set on fire journalist Dinara Yegeubayeva’s car, and her young son was threatened with a pistol. Journalist Vadim Boreyko’s door was sprayed with foam, and his cameraman’s car was vandalised. 

The targeted media outlets and journalists were actively looking into the deadly January 2022 riots, questioning the official narrative and criticising the authorities’ handling of the unrest that left 227 dead. They also exposed abuses, including torture, in the authorities’ crackdown on those involved in the protests. 

The government said the unrest was a coup attempt by associates of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev.  

Klebanov along with a few other suspects was arrested in March. His father Sergey Manevich was linked to Nazarbayev’s maverick late ex-son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev. Klebanov is also a nephew of oligarch Aleksandr Klebanov. 

The police said Klebanov confessed to the attacks, saying he had “personal enmity” towards the journalists in question. The attacks, the police said, had been carried out by hackers and others hired by Klebanov. 

Gulnara Bazhkenova, the editor of Orda.kz, one of the media outlets targeted by Klebanov, said following the court ruling that the case remains unresolved because “the authorities are covering up the real figures behind the attacks”.  

“Absolutely everyone involved is getting away with it,” she said in a Telegram post. 

She added that the hackers “hired” by Klebanov who were still awaiting their trial should be given minimum punishment.  

“We, the victims, want the kids to be spared,” Bazhkenova said. 

The Almaty court also ordered Klebanov’s representatives to compensate the victims with more than 14m tenge, or about 3,000 dollars, for damaging their property. 

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