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Kazakhstan · freedom-now.org
01Overview
Quick Facts
CountryKazakhstan
Age / Sex31 · male
OccupationLabor activist
Arrested in—
Held at—
CategoryOther
Statusunknown
Sentence12 years
Kazakhstan · context
179documented cases
66 urgent · 14 report torture
Most common grounds
Journalism
24
Cultural
1
Religious
2
Social Media
7
Reports of Torture or Ill-treatment.
Subjected to physical abuse or severe ill-treatment in detention. Violation of international law.
Case Summary
Erzhan Elshibayev was detained following his organization of peaceful labor rallies and his public criticism of the former president. He was ultimately convicted on charges stemming from a 2017 self-defense incident that authorities reopened to target his activism.
Native-Language SummaryRU • Original
Erzhan Elshibayev was detained following his organization of peaceful labor rallies and his public criticism of the former president. He was ultimately convicted on charges stemming from a 2017 self-defense incident that authorities reopened to target his activism.
02Charges
Charges
03 count- 01intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm from hooligan motives
- 02hooliganism
- 03disobedience to prison guards
03Analysis
Surveillance vector
Surveillance vectorSocial Media Monitoring
04Timeline
Case Timeline
Arrest date
March 24, 2019
Sentence served
7y 3mo / 12 years
05Related
Related Cases
Module 01 · Solidarity Matcher
Cases like Erzhan Elshibayev’s that ended in release.
The closest historical cases in our archive whose subjects walked free — the playbooks that worked for someone in a comparable situation.
06Sources
Data Source
Source vs. PPW analysis
freedom-now.orgCase facts, charges, dates, and status.
PPW analysisRisk, surveillance & sentence estimates — probabilistic, not the source's reporting.
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Cite this case
Political Prisoner Watch. (2026). Case file: Erzhan Elshibayev (PPW case cmplyjbi, record version 2026-05-26). Retrieved July 16, 2026, from https://politicalprisonerwatch.org/prisoners/cmplyjbiq00001vpgb360gblz. Original data from freedom-now.org (https://www.freedom-now.org/cases/erzhan-elshibayev/).
Formats reflect this case as an online database record. Always verify the original source before citing in legal filings.