In Astana, blogger Aida Jeksenova was summoned to the extremism unit of the city police department following a complaint filed by Alexei Puchkov, a concert promoter for Russian artists. The matter concerns her post in which she called for a boycott of a concert by Russian artist Timati, writing: "Don't buy tickets to Timati's concert. Don't sponsor the war."
On her Facebook page, Jeksenova writes that the complainant saw in these words evidence of an offence under Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Incitement of social, national, tribal, racial, class or religious hatred").
The blogger claims that, instead of spending the evening at home, she went to the police station, where she walked up to the third floor, which was difficult due to being five months pregnant.
According to her, the police officers in the office politely hinted that she might consider deleting the publication. It is noted that the phrase about "sponsoring the war" particularly irked the officers.
She also claims that the police referred to previous cases involving other individuals, although, in the blogger's view, her political statement is not comparable to those cases.
"For some reason, they cited Katya Bivol and Alika Mukhamadiyeva as examples. Though I don't see how my political statement and these individuals with their insults are related?" — the post reads.
Furthermore, according to her, the officers stated that if a request came from Russia, they would be obliged to initiate an investigation.
Jeksenova said she was puzzled as to why her post, which was about a cultural event and the expression of a political stance, could be interpreted as a possible violation of Article 174.
She notes that the text contained no ethnic markers, hate speech, calls for violence, or insults based on national, religious or social characteristics.
According to her, the publication was an expression of a political position and a call to boycott a specific concert, which corresponds to her right to freedom of opinion as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Speaking about the complainant's motives, Jeksenova suggests that the concert promoter may have been seeking to limit public criticism. She emphasises that citizens of the country have the right to express disagreement, including in the form of boycotts of cultural events. The blogger says the police should not become a tool of pressure in private conflicts between producers and critics.
Jeksenova stated that she has no intention of deleting the post, considering it a matter of principle. If the case proceeds further, the blogger announced her intention to file a counter-claim for false reporting, stressing that everyone must be accountable for their words within the framework of the law.
In her publication, Jeksenova also addressed the Minister of Information and Public Development, Aida Balayeva, reminding her of her previous public positions in defence of journalists and media representatives.
According to the blogger, the current situation affects not only her own case: if political boycotts can be interpreted as extremism, then similar statements could tomorrow be directed at journalists and other civil activists. Jeksenova asks Balayeva to look into the situation and ensure the protection of the right to freedom of speech.