Hostage situation at the airport: trial in Almaty postponed

Tengrinews.kz – The trial of the man who took a female employee hostage at Almaty Airport in early March has been postponed.

The hearing was scheduled to take place at the Turksib District Court. According to court officials, the postponement was due to a lack of communication with the facility where the defendant is being held. He was expected to participate in the session via video link. The new date for the hearing has not yet been announced.

As a reminder, the trial of pensioner Baratov began on April 7, 2025. During that session, a prosecutor from the Transport Military Prosecutor’s Office requested that the trial be conducted in an expedited format, as the defendant had not disputed the evidence collected in the case.

The victim — an airport employee — and the defendant both testified in court. The defendant claimed he had suffered a concussion and explained what led him to take a hostage at knifepoint.

However, during the hearing, the defendant — who had previously not contested the charges — suddenly disagreed with one of them, specifically the allegation that he had made any demands, which led to the case being sent back for further investigation.