Kazakhstan Justice - The Times Of Central Asia

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Drug Crime

Kazakhstan Seeks to Block Nearly 12,000 Drug-Related Websites in 2026

Kazakhstan has referred nearly 12,000 websites for blocking since the beginning of 2026 for advertising or facilitating the sale of narcotics, according to Eldar Abdikenov, deputy chairman of the Interior Ministry’s Committee for Combating Drug Crime. According to official data, more than 3,000 drug-related criminal offenses were recorded in Kazakhstan between January and May 2026, including around 1,500 classified as drug crimes. “As part of efforts to combat online drug trafficking, nearly 12,000 internet resources used for advertising and selling banned substances have been submitted for blocking through the Cybernadzor system,” Abdikenov said. The number of drug-related websites flagged through Cybernadzor has risen sharply in recent years. In 2022, authorities submitted 1,996 websites for blocking, of which 1,493 were blocked. In 2023, the number of blocked sites rose to 3,500, while in 2025 it reached 10,289. Abdikenov also said that, in cooperation with the National Bank, law enforcement agencies have stepped up efforts to trace and disrupt financial flows linked to the drug trade. Since the start of the year, suspicious transactions worth more than 107 million tenge, or about $207,000, have been halted. Around 125,000 foreign payment cards have also been blocked, and authorities are reviewing data from some 20,000 cryptocurrency wallets. During the same period, six organized criminal groups, including one transnational network, were dismantled. Police also shut down 12 laboratories producing synthetic drugs and 42 “phyto-laboratories” cultivating plants containing banned substances. “The main threat continues to come from synthetic drugs. Authorities have seized 466 kilograms of synthetic substances and more than 11 tons of precursors from illegal circulation,” Abdikenov added. Under Article 297 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, the illegal possession, transportation, sale, and distribution of narcotic substances are punishable by prison terms ranging from five to 20 years, depending on the severity of the offense. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry is also planning to introduce financial rewards for citizens who provide information leading to the detection of drug-related crimes.

Bloggers

Kyrgyzstan Proposes Blogger Tax Breaks as Kazakhstan Tightens Scrutiny

Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are taking sharply different approaches to the growing influence of bloggers. In Bishkek, President Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree calling for tax incentives for the IT sector, startups and creative industries, including bloggers, a move that has sparked criticism even from content creators themselves. In Astana, meanwhile, authorities are intensifying scrutiny of influencers’ income and using criminal law in high-profile cases involving online figures. Kazakh tax authorities have continued scrutinizing the earnings of popular bloggers, alongside high-profile enforcement cases. In addition, journalists and other online voices in Kazakhstan have faced prosecution under Article 274 of the Criminal Code, which concerns the dissemination of knowingly false information and carries the possibility of a prison sentence. Japarov’s Tax Initiative Sparks Debate Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s initiative to introduce tax breaks for the IT sector, startups, and representatives of the creative industries has sparked broad public debate. The decree, signed on June 12 and titled “On Measures to Improve the Tax System and Tax Administration,” calls for broad changes to tax legislation, including five-year tax holidays for several categories of business. Under the decree, companies and entrepreneurs working in software development, information systems, and artificial intelligence may be exempt from number of taxes for five years. The proposed benefits would also extend to startups, outsourcing companies, producers of film, video and television content, bloggers, remote employees of foreign companies, and other creative-industry workers. Under the same preferential regime, authorities also plan to set income tax at 5% and social security contributions at 12% of the average monthly wage for these categories. Kyrgyzstan’s State Tax Service says the new measure will help position the country as a regional center for IT and creative industries, including artificial intelligence. The agency expects the tax incentives to attract investment, stimulate the creation of new startups and increase exports of digital services. Supporters of the initiative argue that reducing the tax burden could provide an important boost for young entrepreneurs and technology companies, allowing them to direct more resources toward product development, the introduction of new technologies, and improved competitiveness. Authorities also hope the measure will help retain young specialists in the country and make Kyrgyzstan more attractive to international companies. At the same time, the proposal has drawn criticism, particularly over the inclusion of bloggers among those eligible for tax benefits. Social media users have questioned why the state is granting tax breaks to content creators while doctors, teachers, and other socially important professions continue to pay taxes in full. Kyrgyz blogger and entrepreneur Ilim Karypbekov has publicly opposed exempting bloggers from taxes. He said content creators earning money from advertising should pay taxes on the same basis as other entrepreneurs. Karypbekov said he supports tax incentives for the IT sector but believes it is a mistake to extend them to bloggers. “If I earned 100 soms, I would give four soms to the state. That is a very small amount,” Karypbekov said, adding that many popular bloggers generate substantial advertising revenue and...

Stalking

Kazakhstan Considers Tougher Penalties for Repeat Stalking Offenses

Kazakhstan is considering prison terms of up to five years for repeat stalking offenders under proposed amendments discussed in the Majilis, the lower house of parliament. Criminal liability for stalking, defined as repeated unwanted attempts to establish contact with or track a person against their will, was introduced in Kazakhstan in 2025. Current penalties include a fine of up to 200 times the monthly calculation index, corrective labor in the same amount, community service of up to 200 hours, or arrest for up to 50 days. If stalking is accompanied by violence, threats, blackmail, or privacy violations, offenders may face additional charges under other provisions of the Criminal Code, carrying prison terms of up to two years. Speaking at the parliamentary roundtable, Amangeldy Doszhanov, deputy head of the Interior Ministry’s Investigative Department, said authorities have opened 274 criminal cases since the law entered into force. Of those, 83 have been sent to court and 59 have resulted in convictions. Participants in the discussion argued that the current legislation does not adequately distinguish between isolated incidents and prolonged, systematic harassment. "The same punishment currently applies both to one-off cases of unwanted communication and to systematic stalking," said Assel Tokayeva, a member of the Astana Bar Association and chair of the disciplinary commission of Kazakhstan’s National Bar Association. Deputy Interior Minister Sanzhar Adilov said law enforcement agencies had encountered cases in which individuals convicted of stalking resumed their behavior after serving their sentences. "We are currently considering amendments to Article 115-1 of the Criminal Code," Adilov told lawmakers. "We propose introducing repeat offending as an aggravating factor and strengthening criminal liability." Under the proposed changes, repeat stalking offenses would be classified as crimes of medium gravity and could carry prison sentences of up to five years. The roundtable also reviewed measures aimed at preventing violence against women and expanding protections for victims of domestic abuse. According to Adilov, courts have prohibited 49 domestic abusers from approaching their victims since the beginning of the year, while special behavioral restrictions have been imposed on 9,200 offenders. More than 8,300 of them have been banned from consuming alcohol. The Interior Ministry reported that more than 41,000 people have been held administratively liable in domestic violence-related cases this year, while more than 11,000 offenders have received administrative arrest sentences. More than 10,000 people have also been punished for violating court-imposed restrictions and ordered to undergo mandatory psychological correction programs. Kazakhstan is not alone in expanding legal protections against stalking. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, neighboring Kyrgyzstan moved earlier this year to introduce criminal liability for stalking as part of wider efforts to address gender-based violence.

Court Cases

Kazakhstan Justice Reform Sees Citizens Winning More Cases Against State Bodies

In a boost for proponents of justice reform in Kazakhstan, citizens and businesses are now winning more than half of administrative court cases against government agencies. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, citing what he described as the growing impact of the country’s administrative justice reforms. Speaking at an Astana forum entitled Administrative Justice and Its Role in Ensuring the Rule of Law, Tokayev said the introduction of administrative courts had significantly improved citizens’ ability to challenge government decisions and defend their rights. “It must be acknowledged that in the past it was far more difficult for citizens to challenge the actions of government agencies and protect their rights,” he said. “With the introduction of administrative justice, the situation has changed fundamentally.” In a separate statement, Supreme Court Chairman Aslambek Mergaliyev, noted that the share of cases won by citizens and businesses against state bodies has risen from 15% to nearly 60% over the past five years. “Behind these figures are removed administrative barriers and restored rights for individual citizens, entrepreneurs and investors,” Mergaliyev told participants at the forum. The president noted that under the current system, government bodies are legally required to demonstrate the legality of their decisions and actions, while courts place greater emphasis on evidence gathering and procedural fairness. Tokayev said those changes had helped challenge the longstanding perception that courts usually side with the authorities. “This is a concrete result of administrative justice reforms,” he said. According to Supreme Court Chairman Aslambek Mergaliyev, citizens’ success rate in administrative cases has risen from 15% to nearly 60% over the past five years. Tokayev said Kazakhstan’s next objective is to move beyond resolving disputes after they arise and instead focus on managing legal and administrative risks before conflicts reach the courts. As part of that effort, he highlighted the government’s use of the eOtinish digital platform, which allows citizens and legal entities to submit complaints, appeals, information requests and suggestions to state bodies electronically. According to the president, nearly 16 million submissions have been filed through the platform over the past five years. He said authorities must now ensure greater consistency in administrative decisions at both national and local levels to prevent recurring disputes over the same issues. Tokayev paid particular attention to investor-related disputes, noting that courts rule in favor of investors in up to 80% of such cases. “In meetings with domestic and foreign investors, I consistently stress that the government and business community must engage constructively, openly discuss problems and jointly seek solutions,” he said. At the same time, he added that any compromise reached between officials and investors must remain fully consistent with the law. The remarks come as Kazakhstan seeks to link legal reform more closely to its investment agenda. The government has set a target of attracting $62.7 billion in total investment in 2026, including $25.5 billion in foreign capital, while also transferring the investment ombudsman role to the Prosecutor General and creating a Committee for the Protection of Investors’ Rights. That said, the administrative...

Drugs Bust

Former Kazakh Nuclear Engineer Helps Federal Agents Bust $20 Million Fentanyl Operation

A routine vehicle delivery across the United States turned into a federal drug operation after a former Kazakh nuclear industry engineer spotted warning signs in the behavior of a customer. Serik Jaxybayev, who now works in logistics in the United States, was transporting a vehicle from Los Angeles to Minneapolis in March 2026 when the intended recipient gave him cause for alarm. According to Jaxybayev, the customer repeatedly demanded location updates, and then insisted on meeting in a parking lot rather than at the address provided for delivery. Instead of ignoring his suspicions, Jaxybayev contacted Trooper Cody Parr of the Kansas Highway Patrol and asked for the vehicle to be stopped and inspected as he passed through Kansas. That decision led to the discovery of a hidden cache of fentanyl with an estimated street value of about $20 million, according to a March 25 letter of appreciation sent to Jaxybayev by the Kansas Highway Patrol. The letter thanked him for his assistance and bravery, and said the operation had involved state and federal agents, including the FBI and the DEA. [video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WhatsApp-Video-2026-06-02-at-19.12.02.mp4"][/video] From Nuclear Engineer to Long-Haul Driver Jaxybayev previously spent 21 years working for Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s national atomic company. He holds a degree from Tomsk Polytechnic University, one of Russia’s best-known engineering universities, and moved to the United States in July 2023. He later obtained approval under the U.S. EB-1 immigration category, which is used for people with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors or researchers, and certain multinational executives or managers. He received his green card in October 2024. While rebuilding his career in the U.S., Jaxybayev obtained a commercial driver’s license in the summer of 2024, and began working for Spark Prime Logistics. “I contribute to the U.S. economy,” Jaxybayev told The Times of Central Asia. “Last year, I paid around $13,000 in taxes. In the future, I want to return to working in the nuclear industry.” “My Suspicions Were Immediate” The delivery initially appeared routine. But Jaxybayev said the customer’s behavior changed as the truck approached its destination. The recipient was nervous, called repeatedly, and pressed for precise updates on the truck’s location. The request to meet away from the stated delivery address made him especially uneasy. “My suspicions were immediate,” Jaxybayev told TCA. He contacted Parr, an officer with the Kansas Highway Patrol, and asked whether law enforcement could inspect the vehicle. Parr agreed to meet him as he passed through Kansas. A Controlled Delivery When officers stopped and inspected the vehicle, they found fentanyl hidden inside it. Jaxybayev then continued the journey under instructions from law enforcement so that agents could move against the wider criminal organization. A letter of appreciation from the Kansas Highway Patrol praised Jaxybayev’s “fearlessness and courage in keeping America safe,” and stated that his actions “potentially saved hundreds of lives on the street, or thousands had the suspects chosen to use it for terrorism purposes. Your bravery in assisting State and Federal agents in taking down this criminal organization...

Amnesty

Kazakhstan Amnesty Bill Could Free 1,500 Inmates, Excludes Violent Offenders

Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, has approved in its first reading a draft amnesty law tied to the adoption of the country’s new Constitution. The measure could affect approximately 16,500 people, including around 1,500 inmates who could be released from prisons and other detention facilities. The initiative is notable for its scale and because it combines criminal and administrative amnesty measures for the first time in Kazakhstan’s history. According to lawmakers, the administrative component alone could affect around one million unpaid fines. The proposal has sparked public debate over whether individuals involved in high-profile criminal cases could benefit from the measure. Some lawmakers have also argued that journalists and bloggers convicted under controversial legislation should be included. Who Will Benefit? According to Snezhanna Imasheva, chair of the Mazhilis Committee on Legislation and Judicial and Legal Reform, individuals convicted of minor offenses and criminal misdemeanors would be eligible for full release from punishment. For offenses classified as medium severity, a different approach would apply. Individuals who caused no damage, or who have fully compensated victims, could qualify for complete release. Others could receive reductions in the remaining portions of their sentences. Among the most common offenses covered by the amnesty are theft, livestock theft, and embezzlement or misappropriation of entrusted property. Certain economic crimes may also qualify for partial sentence reductions. In some cases, individuals convicted of fraud could receive reduced sentences, provided the offenses do not involve corruption, particularly large-scale damages, or other exclusions specified in the legislation. Imasheva said that approximately one million unpaid administrative fines totaling nearly $33 million could be written off. The measure would apply to fines for offenses committed before midnight on March 17, 2026, shortly after Kazakhstan’s new Constitution was adopted in a nationwide referendum. Who Will Not Be Released? The draft law excludes crimes against life and health, corruption offenses, terrorism, and extremism. Those convicted of murder, assisting suicide, intentional infliction of serious, moderate, or minor bodily harm, assault, torture, stalking, HIV transmission, and sexual offenses will not be eligible for amnesty. Those convicted of murder, assisting suicide, intentional infliction of bodily harm, assault, torture, stalking, HIV transmission, and sexual offenses will not be eligible for amnesty. The measure also excludes recently criminalized offenses such as acting as a financial “dropper” in fraud schemes and bride kidnapping. High-Profile Convicts Remain Excluded Former minister of national economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who was convicted in May 2024 of murdering his common-law wife, Saltanat Nukenova, will neither be released nor receive a sentence reduction. His convictions for murder committed with extreme cruelty and torture fall among the offenses excluded from the amnesty. Another widely publicized defendant, Perizat Kairat, will also be ineligible. Kairat, the founder of the charity Biz Birgemiz Qazaqstan 2030, was convicted in a high-profile fraud case involving funds raised for flood victims and other charitable causes. Lawmakers said her conviction for large-scale fraud falls under offenses excluded from the amnesty. In July 2025, Kairat was sentenced to ten years in prison, while her...