Journalist Zhanar BaiseMiz published an interview on her YouTube channel with former members of a religious community known as "zikirshiler." One of them made a statement about the community's leader, who is regarded in Kazakhstan as a prominent religious figure, according to infohub.kz.
According to the podcast participant, the community leader allegedly molested minors. The interview claims that he forced a minor to engage in sexual acts and, after being refused, began threatening the teenager. The same podcast participant suggested that there may have been more than one incident and more than one minor involved.
As the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs told a NUR.KZ correspondent, based on the information presented in the publication, a pre-trial investigation has been launched, during which all circumstances of the incident are being verified.
In accordance with Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, data from the pre-trial investigation are not subject to disclosure.