In the Turkestan region, patrol police stopped travellers from Belarus and, according to the tourists, took 200 thousand tenge from them, allegedly for not having a Kazakhstani vehicle inspection.
According to the Telegram channel «ZTB NEWS», one of the tourists - blogger Alexander Gulko claims that they were driving two cars, without breaking any traffic rules, but they were stopped by patrol officers.
It is reported that the police demanded a local vehicle inspection from the tourists and stated that they had been caught on camera. However, no evidence was presented to them. It is noted that the patrol officers allegedly promised that after handing over the money, they would not be stopped again.
“200 thousand tenge – that's about 400 bucks, and they leave us alone until the border. Apparently we don't have a local vehicle inspection, as if we were caught on camera somewhere, but they didn't show us anything, didn't present any evidence. As if there are no other options, you just have to pay. Yes, these are the rules around here,” the blogger said.
In turn, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that a criminal case has been opened regarding this incident and an internal investigation has been launched concerning the unit's management. The ministry also emphasised that no official statements have yet been received from the tourists from Belarus.
Questions arise about the effectiveness of equipping police officers with body-worn cameras, recordings from which should be automatically uploaded to a secure storage facility.
If the video has disappeared or is not provided, the victims may demand its recovery through the court or the prosecutor's office. However, according to information from human rights circles and some media outlets, there are certain difficulties in gaining access to such recordings in some situations.