The brutal beating of activist Roman Reikhert from Martuk village, Aktobe by police officers and consequences of that

On 24 March 2021, Roman filed a criminal complaint against officers of Martuk City Police Department: Azamat KALMAKHAMBETOV, ALGALIYEV Sabyrzhan, Stepan and others who together with other police officers (10 people) inflicted serious bodily injuries on the civil activist, including beating with truncheons.

Based on the medical records, doctors of the Aktobe emergency hospital diagnosed Roman with: concussion of the brain, soft tissue contusions of the scalp, trauma of shoulder joint on the left, lumbar region on the right and contusion of the iliac area on both sides.

It has now been revealed that Roman was served with a summons for 21 April 2021 to participate in a hearing on changing the restriction of liberty to imprisonment. This is the second time that the probation office has sued Roman in order to change the restriction of liberty to imprisonment.

On 8 April, it became known that the investigative department of the Aktobe regional department of the Republic of Kazakhstan had opened a pre-trial investigation against police officers under Article 146 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan («torture»).

We remind you that on 22 March 2021, Roman went out to the shop with his 3 year old son. A group of 10-15 policemen (including Azamat KALMAKHAMBETOV, ALGALIYEV Sabyrzhan,Yuri POSTOVOY, Stepan, etc.) detained Roman and his son.

During the detention, police officers beat Roman in front of his 3-year-old son. The police officers hit Roman on the head with a truncheon, twisted his arms, and strangled him with their hands.

In May 2020, under the politically motivated Article 405 Part 2 («participation in an extremist organisation»), a court sentenced Roman to one year of restriction of liberty with probation and a requirement not to leave his place of residence and not to change his job.

Roman REIKHERT participates in challenges, peaceful protests and criticises the authorities of Kazakhstan, for which he was politically prosecuted.

We call on the US, the EU, the UK and Canada to impose personal sanctions on: the head of the NSC, Karim MASSIMOV; the General Prosecutor, Gizat NURDAULETOV; and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerlan TURGUMBAYEV.