[2] Mamai then continued his studies at the Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages at the Department of English Philology.
[4] The following June, Mamai was arrested on charges of "inciting social hatred" and "calling for the overthrow of the public and constitutional order".
[citation needed] While Mamai served as editor of Tribuna, the newspaper was hit with a libel fine after accusing a government official of embezzling money meant to go to hosting the 2011 Asian Winter Games.
[6] The newspaper supported imprisoned activists Max Bokaev and Talgat Ayan, who were sentenced to 5 years in prison for participating in a peaceful protest in Atyrau.
[6] On 10 February 2017, the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan launched a raid targeting the office of the Tribuna and many of its senior staff.
[2] The premise for the Agency's action pertained to the controversial investigation regarding the alleged embezzlement of money by Mukhtar Ablyazov from BTA Bank.
[2] Mamai's arrest was criticized by many human rights organizations and other NGOs, including Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Freedom House.
[8] Following his three year period of restrictions, Mamai unsuccessfully attempted to get his Democratic Party of Kazakhstan registered with the government.
[1] In April 2021, Mamai wrote a piece accusing former Äkim of Almaty Bauyrjan Baibek of accumulating large amounts of wealth through his family's ownership of about 100 companies.