[2] He campaigned against Kazakhstan's laws restricting freedom of assembly, which require permission from the authorities to hold a street protest.
"[3] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kazakhstan entered into a state of emergency, and during this time Ilyashev posted on his private Facebook page three statements critiquing the government.
[4] Ilyashev's trial was held online, and due to poor connection, he was unable to hear or see a significant portion of the proceedings.
[4] According to the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the American Bar Association, severe due process violations occurred during his trial.
[14] On February 12, 2021, the human rights organization Freedom Now and the trial firm McKool Smith filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Ilyashev.