In April-May 2026, 13 people were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in Kazakhstan for investigated criminal cases of terrorist and extremist crimes. During the same period, law enforcement agencies detained another 11 people suspected of committing similar offences.
WHAT DATA DID THE NSC PROVIDE?
According to the National Security Committee (NSC), in April-May 2026, courts handed down sentences against 13 individuals found guilty of committing terrorist and extremist crimes in cases investigated by the agency.
One of those convicted, a resident of Astana, according to the NSC, promoted terrorist ideology on social media and incited those around him to travel to areas of terrorist activity. The court sentenced him to 8 years imprisonment.
Another convicted person, a native of Shymkent, spread terrorist ideas and called for the creation of a theocratic state in Kazakhstan. By court decision, he was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
WHERE WERE THE DETENTIONS?
As reported by the NSC, during the same period in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Atyrau, Aktobe, Zhambyl, Karaganda, Turkestan regions and the Abay region, 11 people were detained, including two foreign nationals and three citizens of Kazakhstan extradited from abroad.
Those detained are suspected of distributing extremist materials on the internet and among their associates, as well as incitement to travel to areas of terrorist activity and to violence against individuals who do not share their beliefs.
WHAT STAGE ARE THE CASES AT?
Pre-trial investigations are being conducted against those detained under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Other information on these cases is not disclosed in accordance with Part 1 of Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Some of the individuals involved have already been convicted, while pre-trial investigations continue into new episodes.