The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan has officially confirmed that it is aware of the case involving Yelaman Baltagerei, a Kazakh citizen detained in the U.S., and said it is investigating the details. U.S. authorities have stated that Baltagerei was detained on suspicion of ties to terrorism.
Foreign Ministry’s response
Amid reports that U.S. authorities may deport Baltagerei, Yerzhan Ashikbayev, first deputy minister of foreign affairs and former Kazakh ambassador to the U.S., noted that terrorism-related charges typically lead to criminal prosecution and imprisonment rather than deportation.
«If terrorism charges are brought against an individual, then, as far as we know from practice, deportation will not be an issue. The issue is prosecution and conviction,» he said.
What is Baltagerei accused of?
According to reports, Baltagerei was detained during a special operation in Commerce, California. U.S. authorities said he is suspected of involvement in terrorist activity.
In addition, officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that a U.S. immigration court issued a deportation order against the Kazakh national last summer, but he failed to appear during the hearings. As a result, he will remain in custody pending the completion of deportation proceedings.
Context
This is not the first time this year that Kazakh citizens have become involved in high-profile criminal cases abroad. In April, media outlets reported on the trial of Kazakh national Sergey K., who was accused of working for Russian intelligence in Germany. Investigators alleged that he may have transmitted information related to military aid to Ukraine and Germany’s defense industry. At the time, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry also stated that it was monitoring the situation.
