Temirlan Yensebek

Temirlan Yensebek, a Kazakh blogger, activist, and founder of the satirical news outlet Qaznews24, was arrested in January 2025 in Almaty. He was placed in pretrial detention for months following a preliminary hearing. According to his lawyer, Yensebek’s arrest was linked to a satirical post featuring the comic song “Yo, orystar” (“Yo, Russians”). Yensebek has also previously been targeted by authorities, including in a 2021 police investigation accusing Qaznews24 of spreading misinformation. In April 2025, Yensebek was released from custody but was sentenced to 5 years of restricted freedom for "inciting ethnic hatred." The verdict was upheld in May.