Astana, Jun 20 (EFE).- Kazakhstan is ready to assist in the investigation into the shooting two days ago in Ukraine of Kazakh opposition journalist Aidos Sadykov and will communicate with Ukrainian authorities, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Thursday.
“I have instructed the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior to send official requests regarding this serious incident,” said the president, as quoted by the presidential press service.
Tokayev stressed that “Kazakhstan is heading towards strengthening the rule of law.”
“In the country, law and order must prevail (…) All disagreements in our society must be resolved exclusively within the legal framework,” he stated.
Sadykov, 56, was shot on Tuesday near his home in Kyiv. He has been a refugee in Ukraine with his wife since 2014.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office indicated that an unknown assailant attacked the journalist. The attacker fired at the car in which he was also traveling with his wife.
The Kazakh opposition figure was hospitalized in Kyiv in serious condition, medical sources said.
Shooting victim critical of Kazakh government
Kazakh authorities placed Sadykov on a wanted list in the fall of 2023 for charges of inciting hatred,
Sadykov and his wife run a YouTube channel from which they criticize the authorities and oligarchy of their country. They also supported the massive protests that shook the Central Asian nation in early 2022.
The demonstrations began on January 2 in protest against the doubling of liquefied gas prices. The protests quickly turned into riots which Kazakh forces suppressed in an “anti-terrorist” operation.
At that time, Tokayev requested military assistance from the Russia-led post-Soviet military alliance, He also warned that the state would carry out a firm policy of intolerance towards any radical, extremist, or vandal actions.
Corresponding rights for Kazakh citizens
In statements to the Tengrinews portal, Kazakh presidential spokesperson Berik Uali on Thursday dissociated the charges against the journalist and his wife from the attack. He noted that those attempting to link Astana to this attack seek to distort the country’s strategic course.
“Regardless of the accusations presented against Aidos Sadykov, he is, first and foremost, a citizen of Kazakhstan,” and therefore “he and his family have corresponding rights,” he stated.
Uali added that, according to the Kazakh constitution, both “can count on the protection and assistance of the state beyond its borders.”
“Therefore, the president has instructed the relevant diplomatic and government services to offer the Sadykov family all necessary assistance if they express their consent,” he concluded. EFE