A resident of Aktobe has appealed to Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry to help her 24-year-old son, who has been in a Greek prison for nearly two years. According to the woman, Rashid Kadirov was sentenced to 125 years in prison for illegal migrant smuggling. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The situation was reported by the publication "Aktobe Times".
According to Nurkhan Kadyrova, her son found a job advertisement in Turkey on Instagram. They paid for his flight and promised earnings related to boat rides for tourists.
Later, the woman claims, the young man became involved in transporting illegal migrants to Greece, where he was detained. In the mother's opinion, her son was not the organizer of the crime and followed the instructions of a coordinator who controlled the situation.
The woman also stated that during the trial her son did not have an interpreter, so he signed documents without understanding their content. According to her, the court-imposed fine amounts to about one billion tenge.
Now, according to the mother, Rashid is awaiting a second court hearing. The family maintains contact with him and sends money for food and essential items.
In response to a request from Kursiv, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that they are aware of the situation with the Kazakh citizen.
"This citizen was convicted by a Greek court under an article providing for liability for illegal migrant smuggling. Under local law, this act falls under the category of serious crimes. Our diplomats in Greece, within their competence, are providing the citizen with the necessary consular and legal assistance. The issue is under the control of the ministry," the MFA reported.
The ministry did not specify at what stage the trial is and whether the sentence can be reviewed.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that in New York, a man climbed the Brooklyn Bridge, hung several flags, including the state flag of Kazakhstan, and then jumped into the East River. He survived, was rescued by police, and taken to a hospital. The editorial board sent a request to the MFA of Kazakhstan.