Woman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for TikTok Comment in Kazakhstan

A court in northern Kazakhstan has sentenced a 40-year-old woman to five years in a medium-security penal colony for a comment she posted on the social media platform TikTok. The case centers on remarks made under a post discussing the potential renaming of the city of Petropavlovsk.

The defendant, an individual entrepreneur and mother of two daughters—one of whom is a minor—was an active TikTok user with around two thousand followers under the username "Flower." According to the court verdict, last summer she commented on a publication about renaming Petropavlovsk. This comment was later deemed socially dangerous by investigators, who argued it could create political risks related to the country's territorial integrity and provoke interethnic tension.

The legal proceedings began after another user filed a police report against the account "Flower." Law enforcement identified the real person behind the profile within hours.

During the trial, held in the Shal Akyn district court of North Kazakhstan Region, the woman did not fully admit guilt. She testified that while she did write the comment in question, her intended meaning was different. She stated her mistake was failing to articulate her thoughts clearly and eloquently. The defendant also said she was unaware of criminal liability for separatism and had not seen news about previous verdicts under Article 180 of Kazakhstan's Criminal Code, which addresses separatist activity.

Despite her defense, the court found her guilty based on witness testimonies and other evidence, including a conclusion from a forensic psychological-philological expert examination involving a political scientist. The expert confirmed that her statements contained signs of propaganda aimed at violating the integrity and inviolability of Kazakhstan's territory.

The Shal Akyn District Court convicted her under Article 180 and sentenced her to five years' imprisonment. The defendant, who had been under a written pledge not to leave the area, was taken into custody directly from the courtroom.

As a result of her conviction, her minor daughter has been placed in a support center for children left without parental care by guardianship authorities.