The lawyer of journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim announced that his client has been transferred to Kyzylorda.

“Yesterday (December 19. — Ed.) Duman was transported to Kyzylorda. It is still unknown to which specific institution,” says Nurpeisov.

According to the lawyer, on December 7, his client ended the hunger strike he had declared, demanding to be transferred to a penal colony in his native Almaty region. The health condition of 46-year-old Mukhamedkarim is poor, the lawyer notes.

“He has kidney pain. He cannot sit. He can stand and lie down. We have submitted numerous petitions for him to receive medical assistance,” the lawyer reported.

Nurpeisov points out that, according to the law, the convicted individual must serve their prison sentence in a colony located near their relatives’ residence, but in the case of Duman Mukhamedkarim, this requirement is not being met. The journalist's elderly parents live in the Almaty region.

The Committee for the Criminal-Executive System (KUIS) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan has not yet provided any comments.

Previously, Mukhamedkarim, in protest, inflicted cuts on himself in prison and declared a hunger strike. The lawyer states that he saw the traces of cuts on his client's body. KUIS denies that the journalist inflicted cuts on himself.

On August 2, 2024, journalist and civil activist Duman Mukhamedkarim, the creator of the YouTube channel “What Does He Say,” was sentenced to seven years in prison with a three-year ban on engaging in socio-political activities. The trial was conducted behind closed doors, and the journalist was accused of “financing extremism” and “participating” in a banned organization. Mukhamedkarim did not admit to the charges.

In November, the Almaty region court upheld the sentence without changes.

The reason for initiating a criminal case against Mukhamedkarim was an interview he conducted with opposition politician and former banker Mukhtar Ablyazov. Mukhamedkarim disclosed the account number of Mukhtar Ablyazov in the credits. The investigation and prosecution viewed this as support for the banned organization labeled as extremist by the capital's court, the “Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan,” which is mentioned in resolutions by the European Parliament as a peaceful opposition. The lawyers stated that their client is not guilty: the DCK movement has been recognized as extremist in Kazakhstan, and there is no ban on publishing interviews with Ablyazov or his account numbers. Duman Mukhamedkarim has been behind bars since June of last year.

Kazakhstani human rights groups have included Mukhamedkarim in their list of political prisoners. Astana denies the existence of political prisoners and politically motivated persecution in Kazakhstan.