Tengrinews.kz — A resident of Semey has been sentenced to two years in prison for comments on the social network Threads that the court found to be inciting religious and ethnic hatred, citing the press service of the Abai Regional Court.
Posted comments on Threads for a year and a half
The criminal case was heard by the Semey Interdistrict Criminal Court. According to case files, the man spent nearly 18 months posting comments on religious-themed publications by other Threads users.
"Seeking to instigate conflict, he intentionally published comments aimed at inciting ethnic and religious discord, and at insulting the national honor, dignity, and citizens based on their religious affiliation and ethnicity," the court stated.
The court's sentence
The defendant pleaded fully guilty and requested a non-custodial sentence. The prosecutor, however, sought actual imprisonment.
Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Inciting social, national, ethnic, racial, or religious hatred) carries penalties ranging from fines and restricted freedom to imprisonment for 2 to 7 years.
"By court verdict, the individual, identified as I., was found guilty under Article 174, Part 1 of the Criminal Code. Taking into account mitigating factors—including sincere remorse, no prior criminal record, being a first-time offender, and positive references from his place of residence and work—and the absence of aggravating circumstances, he was sentenced to 2 years in prison," the court announced.
As a reminder, the In Astana, a sentence was handed down to a 23-year-old man who fabricated a story about alleged sexual assault during his military service to collect money via Threads.