According to Zaure, she and her husband live in Astana and are raising five children. Her husband works as a farmer, while she is a teacher specializing in educating children with special needs.
A.Zh. was detained on August 6, 2025, at the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border at the "Ak-Zhol—Automobile" checkpoint, where he had arrived with friends for a vacation at Issyk-Kul.
"My husband has been in detention center No. 1 for six months. During this time, we have not been given any explanation for his detention. He is an ordinary citizen of Kazakhstan, has never had any problems with the law, and has no criminal record. We do not have a business or partners in Kyrgyzstan, and he has no connection to criminal groups," she emphasized.
Since the arrest, Zaure has been trying to find out from the Kyrgyz authorities whether the detention was legal. She also reported that similar inquiries had been made by the Kazakh authorities, but there have been no responses to these requests. Additionally, she has not been allowed to meet with her husband.
Lawyer Nurlan Toktaliyev stated that his client has been charged under Article 263 ("Knowingly false report of a crime") of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan.
"The case materials claim that from 2011 to 2022, he was involved in smuggling through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. However, he could not have done this alone. It is also stated that he allegedly is a member of a transnational organized crime group, but his name is not mentioned in the verdict of this case from 2019," the lawyer added.
Participants of the press conference urged the leadership of Kyrgyzstan to pay attention to this case and to resolve the situation fairly.
