In response to Kazakhstan’s silence and lack of judicial action, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has referred the case to United Nations protection mechanisms in an effort to obtain answers from Kazakh authorities, News.Az reports, citing RSF.  

Aydos Sadykov, co-founder of the YouTube channel BASE, which exposed corruption within the Kazakh government, died on 2 July 2024, 13 days after being seriously wounded in a shooting in Kyiv. Ukrainian investigators identified two Kazakh nationals with suspected links to Kazakh law enforcement as the alleged attackers, but Kazakhstan has largely not responded to Ukraine’s requests for judicial cooperation, and the investigation in Ukraine has stalled.

Faced with this deadlock, RSF—together with the agreement of his widow, journalist and BASE co-founder Nataliia Sadykova—has referred the case to the office of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of the Rights and Freedoms of Opinion and Expression. The aim is for the case to be documented and for Kazakhstan to be pressed to provide answers.

RSF stated that the cycle of impunity must be broken and called on Kazakh authorities to respond to Ukraine’s requests and provide information about the identified suspects in order to advance the investigation into the murder of their citizen. The organisation said the UN referral represents an important step toward accountability.

Since Aydos Sadykov’s death, Nataliia Sadykova has continued efforts to identify those responsible and seek justice, despite facing harassment. In April, a lawsuit was filed against her in Ukraine by Russian-Kazakh businessman Gadzhi Gadzhiev, who allegedly attempted to have a BASE video about him removed in 2023 and is reportedly linked to the case. He accuses her of publishing damaging content about him on her YouTube channel.

Aydos and Nataliia Sadykova, who have lived in Ukraine for the past decade due to a defamation investigation in Kazakhstan, jointly ran BASE, an independent YouTube channel focused on investigating corruption within the Kazakh elite with more than one million followers. Despite their exile, they continued to face threats, surveillance, and harassment campaigns, particularly on Telegram.