FBK founder Kirill Pavlov was taken to the Kostanay police department on the morning of 14 November, where they intend to hold a court hearing on an administrative case under Part 4 of Article 456-2 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The journalist was on a work trip when police officers came to his rented apartment and forcibly took him to the department under the pretext of taking a statement. According to Pavlov, they want to try him directly inside the police building.
"I came to Kostanay on a work trip. The police came to my rented apartment in the morning. Now they've brought me to the department under the guise of taking a statement because I didn't want to leave the country. But judging by the conversations, they want to try me in the police building," reported Pavlov.
He also noted that a compulsory escort order had been applied to him. Pavlov raises the question of how the police established his exact location in Kostanay, as surveillance requires a relevant warrant.
The administrative case against Pavlov was initially opened in Astana by the local district inspector of the Yesil district police department, Arman Baidildayev. However, the court hearing is unexpectedly planned to be held in Kostanay, where the journalist arrived on a work trip. This spontaneous decision raises questions about the procedural correctness of conducting the trial.
As a reminder, the administrative case against the FBK founder was opened following a complaint from Sunkar Eavision International LLP, which accused FBK journalists of lying after a publication about the cost of drones. The company claimed that the outlet had disseminated false information that the firm had offered drones at 7.1 million tenge, but then signed a contract at 8 million tenge per unit. The disputed information was taken from an official document on the public procurement portal.
On 13 October, the district inspector drew up a protocol on an administrative offence under Part 4 of Article 456-2 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Dissemination of false information"). This provision stipulates liability for repeat offences within a year and carries a fine of up to 40 MRP (157,280 tenge) or arrest for up to 10 days.
Pavlov's defence - lawyer Sergei Utkin from the International Fund for the Protection of Freedom of Speech "Adil Soz" - appealed the district inspector's actions, pointing out procedural violations. The central argument was the question of the statute of limitations for bringing administrative charges. Utkin insisted that from the date of publication on 15 July to the drawing up of the protocol, almost three months had passed, exceeding the two-month statute of limitations.
However, on 7 November, the Specialised Inter-district Administrative Offences Court of Astana refused to satisfy the complaint. The court did not consider the statute of limitations issue on its merits, stating that this matter must be resolved during the direct examination of the administrative offence case.
On 14 November, the day of Pavlov's forced escort to the Kostanay police, the journalist's lawyer filed a private complaint with the Astana City Court against the first instance court's ruling.
"The court did not consider this ground of the complaint on its merits, stating in its ruling that this issue should be resolved by the court when hearing the administrative offence case against Pavlov," the private complaint states.
The International Fund for the Protection of Freedom of Speech "Adil Soz" previously conducted a legal analysis of the situation and concluded that holding journalists accountable for publishing information from official state sources contradicts the law. According to the law, mass media and journalists are not liable for information from official sources.
UPDATE:
Kirill Pavlov has been detained at the Kostanay police department for over three hours without the formalisation of procedural documents. According to the journalist, the case materials from the Astana police have been transferred to the court, but the date and time of the hearing have not yet been set.
"The materials on the drones from the Astana police have been transferred to the court, but the hearing hasn't been scheduled yet, no date or time. However, the escort to the police was arranged. At my request, they have started to draw up a detention report, because they have been holding me at the police station for more than 3 hours. I have never seen a more absurd case. Law and order have left the chat," reported Pavlov.
The journalist's lawyer, Sergei Utkin, reported that Pavlov was detained around 11:00 am, and no procedural documents concerning the detention, delivery, or escort were drawn up.
"Verbally, they say it's related to an administrative case in Astana, but they are not showing any documents on the basis of which the Kostanay police are acting on the instructions of the Astana police, in violation of paragraph 3 of Article 18 of the Constitution," Utkin noted.
According to the lawyer, on 14 November, a case against Pavlov was registered in the Specialised Inter-district Administrative Offences Court of Astana under number 7120-25-00-3/44101, based on the protocol of 13 October. However, no notifications regarding the date and time of the court hearing have been received from the court.
Utkin also stated that today a motion was submitted to Judge Sagidoldina N.O. to adjourn the hearing of the case pending the appeal of the court ruling of 7 November. The motion was registered in the court registry under incoming number 7120-25-5-17/13198.
"At 14:00, the 3 hours since Pavlov's detention expire. As it happens, he didn't manage to have breakfast today and is currently still at the Kostanay police station without breakfast or lunch. It is unclear how much longer Pavlov will be held at the police station and for what purpose," stated the lawyer.
According to the latest information, the police have started drawing up a detention report, and Pavlov is being released.
UPDATE:
The court hearing in the case of Kirill Pavlov has been scheduled for 14 November 2025 at 16:30. According to preliminary information, the hearing may take place online.
UPDATE:
The hearing of Kirill Pavlov's case has been adjourned to 20 November 2025 at 16:30.
UPDATE:
The lawyers of Kirill Pavlov filed a motion stating that they had not had time to review the case materials. The court adjourned the hearing to allow the defence sufficient time to study all the materials in full.
After the hearing, Pavlov commented on the situation:
"The police were excessively keen to uphold the law, they wouldn't let local media in, but then with the judge's permission they let them in. The police officers, by the way, are very nice. They themselves don't understand what's going on."
Pavlov also noted that the lawyers consider the detention illegal:
"The materials were sent to the court yesterday, and only the court has the right to decide whether they can detain or bring someone in. Since the case is not with the police, and especially not in Kostanay, they had no right to do this. That's what my lawyers say."