The trial of the former editor-in-chief of ORDA, Gulnar Bazhkenova, continued on 11 August 2026 at Bostandyk District Court No.2 in Almaty. She did not appear in the morning, after which the court ordered her compulsory attendance.
WHY BAZHKENOVA WAS BROUGHT TO COURT
According to CentralMedia24, defence lawyer Musayev told the court that Gulnar Bazhkenova had been forced to seek medical attention that morning. Judge Yelena Kvan ordered that the defendant be brought to court by force.
The order was carried out in the afternoon. Bazhkenova arrived at court accompanied by police officers and said she was feeling unwell. When asked whether the hearing could continue without her, the judge replied that her presence was necessary.
The defendant asked to be allowed to leave, but after discussing the situation, the court decided not to continue the session on 11 August. The next hearing is scheduled for 13 August at 10:00.
HOW HER HEALTH HAS AFFECTED THE PROCEEDINGS
Medical circumstances have already affected the schedule of court hearings. In July, three hearings were repeatedly postponed due to Bazhkenova's condition.
At that time, she went to the central city clinical hospital. Doctors did not admit her and recommended outpatient treatment. Later, Bazhkenova chose a private medical facility in Almaty, where she underwent examinations and a course of paid treatment.
After the hearings resumed, she also reported health problems, including high blood pressure.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE NEXT HEARING
At the hearing on 13 August, the court plans to hear from Bazhkenova herself. She is expected to give testimony and set out her position on the circumstances of the criminal case.
The charges and the financial transactions discussed in court are the subject of judicial proceedings and do not in themselves mean the defendant's guilt has been established. The court must examine the evidence, compare the positions of the parties, and give them a legal assessment.
CONTEXT
On 2 July, hearings began in Almaty in the criminal case against the former editor-in-chief of ORDA, Gulnar Bazhkenova.
She has been charged under three articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan: embezzlement of entrusted property, illegal entrepreneurship, and dissemination of knowingly false information.
The FBI RK editorial team has pieced together an overall picture of what is happening: versions about money that keep changing right in the courtroom, a phone found in cat food, videos of mantras being chanted during a search, and the question that remains unanswered: how does someone with no cash afford luxury apartments?
Watch the full breakdown in our special episode on YouTube.
