A Kazakh court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for posting critical social-media comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prosecutors in the city of Aqtobe on December 27 found businessman Sanat Dosov guilty of "inciting social discord" and sentenced him to serve in a penal colony based on Facebook posts he had made from July 2014 to March 2016.
Dosov's attorney said his client would appeal the ruling.
Prosecutors said Dosov, 46, had violated the law by posting statements online that said Putin was "ruining" Russia, that were critical of his social policies, and that condemned Moscow's involvement in the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Dosov, who is also chairman of the civic group Ihtiyar, reportedly admitted to posting the comments on social-media sites and pleaded with the court not to send him to jail as he has six dependent children.
Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
