Ex-ministers seek 20 million tenge from Gulnar Bazhkenova in defamation suit

September 21, 2026 at 02:30 PM1 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Former Kazakh education minister Gani Beisembayev and ex-foreign minister Murat Nurtleu filed a civil lawsuit against journalist Gulnar Bazhkenova seeking 20 million tenge. The Bostandyk district court in Almaty is scheduled to hear the case online on September 21.

Key Facts

Beisembayev and Nurtleu demand 20 million tenge in compensation from Bazhkenova.
The Bostandyk district court in Almaty will hear the case online on September 21.
In July, a court fined Bazhkenova about 700,000 tenge for defamation over social media posts about the two former ministers.
On August 18, an Almaty court sentenced Bazhkenova to eight years in prison with a two-year deferral because she has a minor child.

The Civil Claim

Former education minister Gani Beisembayev and ex-foreign minister Murat Nurtleu filed a civil lawsuit against Gulnar Bazhkenova, former editor-in-chief of the closed outlet ORDA. They seek 20 million tenge in compensation, according to Exclusive.kz citing REPUBLIKA.KZ.media. Human rights defender Bakhytzhan Toregozhina confirmed the claim: "They demand 20 million for defamation." The Bostandyk district court in Almaty scheduled the hearing for September 21, to be held online.

Prior Defamation Ruling

In July, a court found Bazhkenova guilty of administrative defamation over Facebook and Instagram posts alleging family ties between the two former ministers. The court applied part 2 of article 73-3 of the Administrative Offences Code and imposed a fine. Bazhkenova said the total fine was about 700,000 tenge.

Criminal Case

Separately, on August 18, an Almaty court sentenced Bazhkenova to eight years in prison with a two-year deferral because she has a minor child. She was convicted on charges of illegal entrepreneurship, spreading knowingly false information, and misappropriation or embezzlement of property. Bazhkenova denied the accusations.