The Bostandyk District Court of Almaty on [date] sentenced Gulnara Bazhenova, former editor-in-chief and co-founder of the news outlet Orda.kz, to eight years in prison. According to Azattyk Asia, the sentence was deferred for two years because she has a minor child. The prosecutor had requested the same term.
The court found Bazhenova guilty on three charges: spreading deliberately false information, illegal entrepreneurial activity, and embezzlement or misappropriation of others' property. She was also banned for five years from journalistic and public activity and from holding leadership positions.
Bazhenova did not admit guilt. In her final statement, she said she had committed no crimes and stolen nothing, acknowledging only violations in tax optimization. She asked the court to apply an amnesty declared by the authorities to mark the adoption of the new Constitution, but the request was denied.
The case on spreading false information was opened over eight Orda.kz articles, two written by Bazhenova herself and the rest by staff. According to the prosecution, from November 2024 to December 2025, while managing the company, she embezzled more than 88.1 million tenge (about $190,000) from accounts, transferring the funds to a controlled individual entrepreneur. Staff confirmed that the money was cashed out and paid to journalists as salaries.
The criminal case against Bazhenova was opened in December 2025, after searches at her apartment and the outlet's office. International organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), called the prosecution pressure on independent media.