Details have emerged online about the biography of lawyer Murat Adam, who is defending the editor-in-chief of the publication ORDA Gulnara Bazhkenova. The information came to light after the lawyer took part in the election for the chairman of the Republican Bar Association, during which he described his criminal record as a student prank with a neighbour.
To remind you, the editor-in-chief of ORDA, Gulnara Bazhkenova, is under house arrest under Article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Dissemination of knowingly false information”). Recently, Murat Adam called on the President to decriminalise this article.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that during the election for the chairman of the Republican Bar Association, Murat Adam presented his criminal record as a student prank with a neighbour.
However, according to available data, the incident occurred inside a courthouse after a hearing. The victim was an elderly female witness. The lawyer publicly insulted her and shoved her, after which she contacted the police.
The conflict took place in front of bystanders and was recorded by cameras. The court found the lawyer guilty, sentencing him to community service and compensation.
It is worth noting that lawyer Murat Adam described Gulnara Bazhkenova’s house arrest conditions as torture.
The Prosecutor General’s Office, for its part, stated that certain individuals are deliberately classifying lawful investigative actions as torture. The department emphasised that no instances of torture have been recorded, and warned of liability for spreading false information.
The emergence of data regarding the lawyer’s criminal record raises questions about the choice of defence counsel in this high-profile case. It remains unclear whether Gulnara Bazhkenova was aware of her lawyer’s background or deliberately agreed to work with him. It is possible that the pool of lawyers willing to take on this case was limited.
The situation continues to develop, sparking discussions about freedom of speech in Kazakhstan.