
Aidar Syzdykov
This platform does not support, endorse, or condone terrorism or violent extremism in any form.
This individual has been charged under statutes classified as terrorism or extremism offenses. However, these charges should be evaluated with significant scrutiny. International human rights organizations — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Memorial — have extensively documented that terrorism and extremism statutes in this jurisdiction are routinely applied to prosecute political dissidents, journalists, religious minorities, and peaceful protesters.
The inclusion of this case on the platform reflects the monitoring mission of documenting individuals who may be subject to politically motivated prosecution. It does not constitute an assessment of guilt or innocence, nor an endorsement of any actions attributed to the individual.
Aidar Syzdykov is a civil society activist and one of the founders of the opposition party “Alga, Kazakhstan!”. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on September 27, 2024, under Article 297 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Illegal manufacture, processing or sale of narcotics, psychotropic substances, their analogues”), a charge he maintains was fabricated. He subsequently petitioned for amnesty, and his sentence was reduced by one year, two months, and 17 days. Previously, in 2021, he had been sentenced to three years of restriction of liberty for participating in the activities of the banned “extremist” association DCK (Article 405).
Aidar Syzdykov is a civil society activist and one of the founders of the opposition party “Alga, Kazakhstan!”. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment under Article 297, though he maintains the case was fabricated. He previously received a sentence for participating in the banned association DCK.
Arrest Date
May 16, 2024
Sentence Length
4 years