Court finds LGBTQI+ activist Janar Sekerbayeva guilty

On April 23, an Astana court found LGBTQI+ activist Janar Sekerbayeva guilty of assaulting a group of homophobic people who attacked her. The court fined Sekerbayeva 173,000 tenge ($371).

In late 2025, Janar Sekerbayeva was attacked by an aggressive group of people. Sekerbayeva and other activists were attacked by unknown individuals while drinking tea in a cafe. The attackers shouted anti-LGBTQI+ slogans.

There are a number of discrepancies between the video and photos of the incident and the court’s decision. Sekerbayeva filed a complaint with law enforcement agencies demanding an investigation into the attack, but her complaint was rejected. Instead of bringing the attackers to justice, a criminal case was opened against Sekerbayeva. Despite the presence of video and photo evidence, the attackers were recognized as victims in court.

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