The FBK editorial team encountered contradictory responses from state bodies when attempting to obtain statistics on the deferral of serving sentences in Kazakhstan. The situation highlighted the problem of responsibility distribution for such data between government agencies.
WHAT DATA WAS OBTAINED
30 March 2026 the FBK editorial team sent a request to the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Records of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan asking for statistics on the deferral of serving sentences for the years 2015–2025.
The Committee provided information only on the first point of the request — the number of approved submissions for deferral of execution of sentences by year. From 2015 to 2024 the figures ranged from 29 to 76 cases, however in 2025 the number rose sharply to 322.
At the same time, the response stated that data on how many individuals after deferral were sent to serve their sentences, as well as data by types of offences for which it is granted, are not compiled. The Committee recommended that this data be requested from the Committee of the Criminal Executive System of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
THE RESPONSE FROM THE CCES WAS THE OPPOSITE
31 March the editorial team sent a separate request to the Committee of the Criminal Executive System of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan regarding the missing data.
However, on 2 April a response was received stating that compiling statistics on sentence deferrals, recording court decisions, and distributing data by types of offences falls within the competence of the Committee on Legal Statistics of the General Prosecutor's Office.
Thus, both agencies essentially redirected the editorial team to each other, without providing the requested information.
COMPLAINT AND APPEAL TO THE GENERAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
In light of the contradictory responses, the FBK editorial team filed complaints against both agencies, citing improper handling of the journalist's request. The responses from the state bodies were attached to the submissions.
Additionally, the editorial team also sent an appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan asking for a legal assessment of the actions of both committees, clarification on whether their responses were lawful, and for the provision of complete and accurate information.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The situation demonstrates the absence of a transparent mechanism for recording data on the deferral of serving sentences. Despite the existence of general statistics on court decisions, data on the actual outcomes of deferrals and their breakdown by types of offences is either absent or inaccessible, which effectively makes it impossible to obtain this data even through an official journalist's request.