In a court in Almaty, Kazakhstan, five activists who opposed the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the country – Aydar Mubarakov, Nurlan Zhaulybaev, Foziljon Sidikov, Nurlan Temirgaliev, and Zhanat Qozoqboy – were each sentenced to four years of restricted freedom. This was reported by "Kaztag".
It is known that the prosecutor's office had previously demanded a 5-year prison sentence for them. The activists were accused of intending to organize disorder on October 6 of last year, the day of voting on the NPP issue.
According to the investigation, they planned to put up armed resistance against the authorities through the use of force, arson, destruction of property, and the use of weapons and explosives.
The defendants, however, denied this, stating that they had only expressed their opinion against the construction of the NPP and had no intention of organizing a riot. Their lawyers also noted that there was no evidence confirming the claims of the law enforcement agencies about the use of force.
After the judge announced the verdict, those gathered in the courtroom applauded the activists.
