Almaty, 25 October. Masked men broke into the flat of Azattyq Asia correspondent Bagdat Asylbek while he was at the Almaty police department, where, according to the outlet, he had been taken against his will; the journalist has filed a complaint of unlawful entry, Azattyq Asia reported.
On the morning of 22 October Asylbek received a call from a man who said he was from the cyber police and told him that money had been paid into his Kaspi account in the summer and had to be returned. The journalist wrote a statement at the bank renouncing the funds. According to the outlet, police were waiting outside the bank and, although there was no summons, forced him into a police car. At the police station he was told of a complaint by a man who said he had paid him 100,000 tenge for a smartphone listed on OLX and never received it; the journalist had posted no such listing.
While he was writing an explanation, two men in masks and hoods, according to neighbours, forced open the door of his flat. The journalist found nothing missing. An investigative team took fingerprints and neighbours handed over video recordings. "If nothing was taken, the question is what they were doing there," said lawyer Yelena Zhigalenok, not ruling out intimidation. Almaty police have not commented publicly.
What it means: The detention of a journalist over a fraud complaint coincided with a break-in at his flat, which his defence sees as possible pressure.
Who benefits: There is no answer yet: who broke in and why has not been established. The journalist and his outlet are demanding an investigation.
Background: Bagdat Asylbek has worked for seven years at the Kazakh service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, covering politics, economics and high-profile trials.
