KazTAG Director Trial in Kazakhstan: Victim's Sister Testified

The hooliganism (gang formation and fighting) trial of the General Director of the Kazakhstan Telegraph Agency (KazTAG), Aset Mataev, and a friend is ongoing at the Almaly District Court in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. At the July 8 hearing of the trial, Saya Samalbek, the sister of Arlan Ayımbetov who is one of the victims of the case, was heard as a witness. In her statement given before the court, Samalbek claimed that her brother acted for the purpose of self-defense. She also informed the court that the victim had only one kidney and was therefore officially classified as disabled.

Touching upon the cause of the incident, the witness explained the situation in a more detailed manner. According to Samalbek's statement, her brother Arlan Ayımbetov wanted to clarify the situation following a verbal disagreement near the taxi stand. It was noted that Ayımbetov wanted to ask why the words directed at him were said, while it was stated that the victim's physical appearance lay at the root of the fight. The witness argued that her brother approached a vehicle and only tried to calm the situation down. Adding that there was no physical intervention at this stage, Samalbek stated that things subsequently got out of control.

Sharing details regarding the main fight that took place at the traffic lights, Samalbek described how the events escalated. According to her statements, when the parties encountered each other again at the traffic lights, both sides were seen getting out of their vehicles. Samalbek stated that the defendants forced the doors of the rented vehicle and during this, material damage occurred to the vehicle's inner door panel. The victim's sister claimed that the defendants constantly hurled insults, and said that she and a person named Diana Makaşeva tried to separate those fighting. She stated that despite all efforts, the tension between the parties escalated even further.

Also explaining the dimension of physical intervention during the fight, the witness emphasized that the events developed very quickly. Samalbek claimed that the first punch came from the defendants and that her brother retreated after this blow. She suggested that her brother swung a keychain-type tool, which he had placed in his pocket, only to keep away the people approaching him and because he was scared. Addressing the judicial panel, she stated, "It seems to me that my brother was very scared because they were coming right at him." Samalbek confirmed that she also participated in the compensation process given to the owner of the rented vehicle after the incident, and that a total of 80 thousand Tenge was paid to cover the damage.

The statements of other witnesses and victims heard in previous hearings further complicate this case. Individuals such as Arlan Ayımbetov, İslam Amiracanov, Serik Yasin, and Diana Makaşeva suggested in their statements that Mataev and Ramazanov were the actual initiators of the fight. The witnesses conveyed to the court that both defendants were under the influence of alcohol during the incident, and it was confirmed by a restaurant employee that they drank liter vodka. Furthermore, according to Makaşeva's statement, before the dispute, Mataev mockingly asked Ayımbetov whether he was a member of the 'Ninety One' music group, which is popular in Kazakhstan. It was also learned that Aset Mataev faces a separate criminal case, accused of publishing false news about the 'Freedom Finance' brokerage firm.