Cameras caught four college students threatening a 14-year-old as she fought back. A Kazakhstani court still downgraded three of the rape charges to ‘consensual sex with a minor.’

Caution: This article contains descriptions of sexual violence.

A Kazakhstani court has convicted four defendants in a high-profile case over the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, sentencing two of them to 13 years in prison each, a third to eight years, and a fourth to two years and eight months, the anti-sexual-violence foundation NeMolchiKZ reported.

The case drew public attention in the spring, when the victim’s parents accused police of shielding the alleged perpetrators. According to the parents, four college students assaulted their daughter in August 2025 after gaining her trust and allegedly drugging her. Yet for some reason, police concluded that the girl had voluntarily engaged in sexual intercourse, the parents said, adding that they believed the family of one of the defendants was influencing the officers.

NeMolchiKZ joined the case after the investigation concluded and disclosed additional details. The defendants had known the victim for six months, the rights advocates said. On the day of the crime, the defendants were using drugs while the girl was under the influence of alcohol. Afterward, she was found to have physical injuries and signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Surveillance cameras captured the defendants threatening her, and the girl bit and pushed them away. Despite this, three of the defendants had their charges reduced — from rape to consensual sexual intercourse with a person known to be under 16 — while the fourth was charged only with failure to report a crime.

The foundation said it presumed the defense had presented videos and messages with the girl, and stressed that nothing from a minor’s messaging apps or social media could serve as a pretext or justification for group sexual violence.

The rights advocates also contended that law enforcement officials demeaned the victim both in the case materials and in court. The case files included, for example, this characterization of the girl: “From the age of ten she has led an active sex life and herself expresses a desire to engage in sexual relations with older boys.” In court, the prosecutor argued that the girl enjoyed being choked and that the words directed at her by one of the defendants — “I’ll break your jaw right now” — did not constitute a threat. These details are known only as reported by NeMolchiKZ, since the trial was held behind closed doors.

The names of the defendants were not made public. Meduza was unable to obtain comment from the defendants or their attorneys, or from the prosecutor’s office. Police said only that they would review whether the complaints from the victim’s parents were justified.

The judge declined to change the legal classification of the charges, even though two of the four defendants received sentences of more than 10 years. NeMolchiKZ called this interpretation of the crime a dangerous precedent that could influence how similar cases are handled in Kazakhstan. The rights advocates pledged to appeal the verdict and take the case to international organizations — the United Nations and Human Rights Watch. They also launched a social media campaign under the hashtag #TolkoMoyoDA (“Only My YES”), aimed at changing Kazakhstan’s laws so that only active consent counts as consent to sex.