Kazakhstani authorities prevent Russian journalist Baltatarova from leaving for France
As Evgeniya Baltatarova, a journalist from Buratiya (Russia), has written on her Telegram, Kazakhstani authorities have prevented her from leaving the country when she was heading to Paris. She was detained at the Astana airport. As a result, she lost money she spent on air tickets and a hotel.
Later, Kazakhstani journalist Daniyar Moldabekov reported that Baltatarova was released from the police station at the airport.
«She was told that she can take a flight to France now if she wants, but she has no money to buy a new ticket. She lost about $1,000 because of this incident,» the journalists wrote in Telegram.
What happened? The police detained Baltatarova at the airport when she was waiting for her flight to Paris.
«They have prevented me from leaving Kazakhstan toward Paris. That’s it. I lost my air travel tickets and my reservation in the hotel. Just let me know, do you want me to stay or leave?» she wrote.
Where is Baltatarova now? The journalists said that she was going to visit a police station. Border officials told her that she might be deported from the country.
«As far as I understand they want to send me back to Tashkent because I came from Uzbekistan. I know that Uzbekistani authorities would send me to Russia with no further ado. I mean, they talk about my deportation a lot,» Baltatarova wrote.
Last year, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they wouldn’t extradite Baltatarova to Russia because she hasn’t committed any crime under Kazakhstani law.
The context. Evgeniya Baltatarova left Russia in March 2022, to avoid legal prosecution for spreading so-called «fakes» about the Russian army, a crime punishable in Russia by up to 15 years in prison. In July 2022, Russian authorities put her on the international wanted list and arrested her in absentia.
Kazakhstani police detained Baltatarova on two occasions because of her being on the wanted list. The first time she was detained was in September 2022 in Astana. She was released in two hours because authorities couldn’t find any reasons for her extradition. In November 2022, she was detained for the second time when the journalist was trying to leave Kazakhstan for Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). The police asked her not to leave the country until they make a final decision concerning the Russian request for her extradition.
In June 2023, Kazakhstan refused to extend a temporary residence permit for Baltatarova. On October 6, 2023, the country’s authorities refused to provide the journalist with asylum.
