An Astana blogger, Birzhan Aubakirov, walked along the Yesil River embankment as part of a "social experiment," impersonating a military enlistment office officer and a police officer. During the prank, one of his participants jumped into the river, and the video appeared on Instagram. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the specialized inter-district court for administrative offenses in Astana, the man was found guilty of petty hooliganism.
"The court took into account the participation of a minor in the social experiment, as well as the creation of a real threat to the life and health of its participants, since one of them fell into the river," the court said in a statement.
In court, the man fully admitted his guilt. It was also confirmed by the protocol on administrative offense, a police officer's report, and the video itself on social networks.
Mitigating circumstances included the admission of guilt and the fact that the man was being brought to administrative responsibility for the first time.
As a result, the blogger was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 434 of the Administrative Code and sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. The court decision has not yet entered into force.
Earlier, the Astana police department reported that they had tracked down the man who illegally used the uniform of law enforcement officers to shoot videos.
The video posted on Instagram shows the blogger, dressed in a military enlistment office uniform, approaching passersby and asking questions about military registration. He then changes into a police uniform and stops drivers allegedly violating traffic rules. At one point, one of his accomplices jumps into the river, which was also captured on camera.
In court, the blogger admitted that his actions disrupted public order and posed a threat to people's lives. He explained that the purpose of the experiment was to test the work of law enforcement agencies, but he did not assess the consequences.
The judge of the specialized inter-district court for administrative offenses in Astana qualified the blogger's actions as petty hooliganism. The appeal period for the decision is 10 days.
The incident caused a wide resonance on social media. Many users condemned the blogger's act, while others believed that his experiment revealed shortcomings in the work of law enforcement agencies.
The Astana police department urged citizens not to illegally use the uniform of law enforcement officers and warned that such actions are against the law.