Chinese court to announce verdict regarding Akzharkyn Turlybay in October 2017
"On August 30, in the morning I held a meeting with Akzharkyn in Guangzhou. We discussed the conduct of our case. I told her we could expect the issuance of the final judgment within two months, perhaps, in October this year. I became aware of that during a conversation with the judge," he said.
The attorney confirmed the girl's wellness.
"She's all right. The detention facility's administration and staff are attentive to her. In the cell, there are 19 people with her. Akzharkyn is not wasting time and mastering the Chinese language as she has already started to read books in Chinese," Xiao Zhangde said.
He expressed optimism about the forthcoming judicial decision.
"Since the very beginning up to now, I have been absolutely sure and insisted on the innocence of the girl. I expect that the court's decision will be fair," the attorney summed up.
As a reminder, the 20-year-old Akzharkyn was detained at Guangzhou Airport in March 2014 for smuggling 4.5kg of drugs (amphetamine). The girl said she had come to China to buy branded clothes for sale. According to Turlybay, the drugs were planted on her by the people she met during her trip. The girl was sentenced to life imprisonment. Later, the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Their Precursors (CARICC) stated that the girl had become a victim of a Nigerian drug mafia. On April 7, 2016, the court of appeals decided to reverse life imprisonment of Akzharkyn Turlybay and submit her case to reconsideration to the first instance court.
On November 2, 2016 , the first instance court of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, held the second hearing.
The Chinese attorneys, who defend the girl, are Feng Zhijian and Xiao Zhande.