Kazakhstan: Judicial harassment against journalist Gulnara Bazhkenova and disbarment of her lawyer, Murat Adam

The Observatory has been informed of the ongoing judicial harassment against Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova – shareholder and, at the time, editor-in-chief of the independent online media outlet Orda.kz –, and her lawyer, Mr Murat Adam, who has been disbarred in apparent retaliation for his legal defence and public criticism of procedural violations in her case.

Between 12 January 2026 and 16 January 2026, at the Bostandyk District Court of Almaty, Mr Murat Adam was subjected to a hearing on a claim brought by the Ministry of Justice.

His trial was considered of “urgent resolution”, meaning it had to be concluded within four days, curtailing defence guarantees. During this hearing, Mr Adam was defended by over 110 lawyers. As the court room only fitted about 40 lawyers, the judge issued a private ruling against all the present lawyers for “abuse of rights” and allegedly delaying the case resolution. The hearing also culminated in a court decision to revoke Mr Adam’s license, unless he was able to provide evidence to counter a claim submitted against him.

The claim seems to have been submitted in retaliation for his role as defence lawyer for Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova and from his public statements concerning the conduct of investigative authorities in her case.

On 1 December 2025, armed police officers conducted coordinated raids at Orda.kz’editorial offices in Almaty and Astana, as well as at Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova’s, editor-in-chief of Orda.kz, private residence. During the searches, law enforcement officers prevented her lawyers, including Mr Murat Adam, from entering the premises and refused to present search warrants. At the Almaty office, officers forced staff members to open a safe and seized cash intended for staff salaries, along with computers, documents, and journalists’ mobile phones.

On the same day, Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova, the heads of Orda.kz’s Almaty and Astana offices, a news editor, and the outlet’s accountant were taken to police stations for questioning. Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova was arbitrarily detained for questioning from 9 a.m, when the searches started at Orda.kz’s offices and her home, to approximately 9:10 p.m., during which time no detention protocol was drawn up. Orda.kz’s staff members were reportedly held in the offices by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department of Police of the Almaty city for several hours before being released.

That night, the investigating judge of the Bostandyk District Court of Almaty city, Dauren Tleubayev ordered for Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova to be placed under house arrest for a period of two months pending investigation. Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova was formally designated as a suspect in several criminal cases related to the alleged “dissemination of false information”, under Article 274 of the Criminal Code. The remaining staff members were released without charges.

On 10 December 2025, the Bostandyk District Court of Almaty city dismissed a complaint lodged by Mr Murat Adam challenging the lawfulness of certain investigative measures against Orda.kz and Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova, despite the fact that filing such complaints forms part of a lawyer’s professional duties.

On 23 December 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did a submission to the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, where it was alleged that Mr Murat Adam had committed serious and repeated professional misconduct.

On 29 December 2025, the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan filed the civil claim before the Bostandyk District Court of Almaty requesting the revocation of Mr Murat Adam’s licence to act as a lawyer. In their claim, the Ministry of Justice explicitly refered to Mr Murat Adam’s comments to the media and on social networks, in which he criticised the legality of searches against Orda.kz and Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova, the lack of judicial oversight, and the denial of access to lawyers during investigative actions. The authorities characterised these statements as “inaccurate information” that allegedly “discredited the pre-trial investigation and the courts”.

In the meantime, as a consequence of her arrest and even though she owns 30% stocks of Orda.kz, Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova has been dismissed from her position the news outlet and replaced by a new editor-in-chief.

These actions followed months of pressure against Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova and Orda.kz, one of Kazakhstan’s most widely read independent and critical media outlets. Since mid-2025, the outlet and its editor-in-chief have reportedly been subjected to cyberattacks, hacking attempts, threats of violence, and disinformation campaigns.

The Observatory is deeply concerned by the criminal prosecution and house arrest of Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova, which appear to constitute a misuse of criminal law to sanction legitimate journalistic work and critical reporting.

The Observatory is also alarmed by the civil proceedings initiated against Mr Murat Adam, which seek to impose permanent disbarment for actions that were an integral part of his legitimate defence of a client facing criminal prosecution.

Such measures raise serious concerns regarding Kazakhstan’s compliance with international human rights standards relating to freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, as enshrined on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the independence of the legal profession, in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

The Observatory strongly condemns the judicial and administrative harassment against Ms Gulnara Bazhkenova and Mr Murat Adam, which appear aimed at silencing independent journalism and deterring lawyers from defending journalists and human rights defenders who carry out their legitimate work.