Accessibility links

Breaking News

Kazakh Activist Released From Pretrial Detention


Kazakh journalist and activist Aleksandr Kharlamov (file photo)
Kazakh journalist and activist Aleksandr Kharlamov (file photo)
RIDDER, Kazakhstan -- An independent journalist and civil society activist in Kazakhstan has been released from a pretrial detention center.

A court in the northeastern town of Ridder decided late on September 3 that Aleksandr Kharlamov can go home but cannot travel outside of Ridder.

Kharlamov, 63, was arrested in March and charged with inciting religious hatred because of articles he wrote on world religions. In April, he was sent from his hometown of Ridder to a psychiatric clinic in Almaty and placed under forced observation. He was later sent back to Ridder and placed in pretrial detention.

Kharlamov's relatives say authorities launched investigations against him after he accused Ridder police of violating people's rights. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Human Rights Watch have urged Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Kharlamov.
  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL's Kazakh Service

    RFE/RL's Kazakh Service offers informed and accurate reporting in the Kazakh and Russian languages about issues that matter in Kazakhstan, while providing a dynamic platform for audience engagement and the free exchange of news and ideas.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG