In Kazakhstan, a lawyer who defended a Chechen refugee has been banned from practicing law

Murat Adam, a lawyer with the Almaty City Bar Association who defended Chechen refugee Mansur Movlaev, has been disbarred. He considers the decision politically motivated and intends to appeal it.

The reason for this was a complaint from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which accused the lawyer of discrediting the work of pre-trial investigation bodies through social media posts during his defense of former Orda.kz editor-in-chief Gulnar Bazhkenova. Adam refuted these accusations, providing evidence of his innocence, and alleged the use of administrative resources against him. He emphasized his intention to exercise his right to appeal.

This incident occurred in the context of the recent refusal by Kazakhstani authorities to grant asylum to Chechen activist Mansur Movlaev, a decision that will also be challenged in court. Murat Adam claimed that Movlaev was persecuted in Russia for supporting the opposition movement 1ADAT, and that the charges against him were fabricated.

Mansur Movlaev previously served time in a Russian prison colony on drug trafficking charges, which he claimed were fabricated due to his political activities. According to the 1ADAT channel, after his release in 2022, he was kidnapped and tortured, and in 2023, he fled to Kyrgyzstan. In May 2025, Movlaev was detained in Kazakhstan at Russia's request.

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