Daniyar Adilbekov

Daniyar Adilbekov (; born ) is a Kazakhstani investigative journalist. In 2024, he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for "false dissemination" after reporting on alleged corruption within the Ministry of Energy, becoming the first journalist in Kazakhstan to be convicted on such charges.

Biography Adilbekov often reported on state corruption, posting articles on the Telegram channel "Dikaya orda" . In early 2024, he published two articles concerning alleged corruption linked to the deputy Minister of Energy, Erlan Akkenzhenov, entitled "Akkenzhenov's Dirty Petrodollars" and "Who Are You, Mr. Akkenzhenov?". Adilbekov reported that the Dutch energy trading company Vitol was able to purchase raw oil materials from Kazakhstan at a reduced price and sell them abroad at inflate prices thanks to internal levers within the Ministry of Energy.

In March 2024, Akkenzhenov filed a criminal complaint against Adilbekov as well as his informant, oil trader Erlan Saudegerov, accusing them of slander and false denunciation. At the same time, Yusuf Rashed Muhammad al Jawder, the chairman of the board of Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, and journalist Gulzhan Yergaliyeva also filed complaints against Adilbekov, over articles he had written about the management of the airport and reporting on the murder trial of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, respectively.

On 3 May 2024, to mark World Press Freedom Day, more than a dozen Kazakhstani journalists issued a public appeal calling on the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to release Adilbekov from custody and to ensure a transparent investigation into his case. They described Adilbekov's ongoing detention as "disproportionate" as his alleged offences did not constitute a danger to the public.

Adilbekov's trial began in October 2024 at the Astana Interdistrict Criminal Court; Zhaniya Urankayeva, a journalist reporting on the trial, criticised the investigation into Adilbekov as being "full of technical errors and typos" which were "disregarded" by the prosecution, despite Adilbekov being tried for "incorrectly written words". His co-defendant, Erlan Saudegerov, received a three year suspended sentence and probation. The Press.kz website reported that it had been jammed after it posted articles about Adilbekov in September 2024.