Kazakhstan jails blogger who captured early drone footage of downed Azerbaijan Airlines plane

Meduza.io

A court in Kazakhstan has sentenced blogger Azamat Sarsenbayev to 10 days in jail for photographing and filming at the Azerbaijan Airlines crash site in western Kazakhstan. (He was formally convicted of the misdemeanor offense of disobeying police orders.)

Sarsenbayev, who was arrested on December 25, has pointed out that major international media outlets have used his photos from the crash site. However, police say the blogger flew a camera drone over the scene, obstructed rescue work and investigative actions, and failed to comply with orders from law enforcement.

An Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed in western Kazakhstan while on its way from Baku to Grozny on December 25 after being refused landing clearance by airports in Russia. The crash claimed 38 lives, while 29 people survived, including three crew members. Videos recorded at the crash site revealed damage to the plane — particularly on the tail section — resembling impacts from the fragmentation elements of an anti-aircraft missile. Azerbaijani government sources later confirmed to Euronews that a Russian surface-to-air missile brought down the plane.

Background

• Was Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer jet shot down? Marks on the plane’s exterior suggest it was hit by military air defenses. Meduza considers the evidence.