SPK Amanat Lawyer Goes Missing After Meeting with KNB in Aktau

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Andrey Prigor, Secretary of the Trade Union Federation of Kazakhstan (SPK) "Amanat," has reported the mysterious disappearance of the organization’s lawyer, Oksana Anatolyevna Grinchuk. The human rights defender, who was in Aktau on a business trip, ceased all communication on the night between March 27 and 28. According to trade union leadership, the only lead in the case is her meeting with officers of the local Department of the National Security Committee (KNB), after which the lawyer’s trail goes cold.

Mysterious Circumstances of the Disappearance

Oksana Grinchuk was staying in a rented apartment in the 32B micro-district of Aktau. According to Andrey Prigor, the timeline of events on the night of her disappearance is as follows:

• Last Contact: At 10:00 PM, the lawyer informed the SPK Secretary that she intended to rest before her flight.
• Night Visit: Around 3:00 AM, acquaintances arrived to take her to the airport for a 5:30 AM flight to Astana.
• Empty Apartment: Lights were on in the windows, but no one answered the door. After calling emergency services (102/MES), the door was breached. The apartment was empty, yet Grinchuk’s bags were found fully packed and ready for departure.

In his audio messages, Andrey Prigor expressed certainty that the lawyer could not have left the apartment voluntarily without taking her belongings for the flight. He suggests that someone she trusted may have called her, luring her out "for five minutes," where she could have been forcibly placed into a vehicle. He also noted a strange coincidence: CCTV cameras in the area were reportedly non-functional that night.

Conflict with KazMunayGas and "Billions in Embezzlement"

Grinchuk had arrived in the region to defend the interests of workers contesting mass layoffs at the state-owned company KazMunayGas. Andrey Prigor links the pressure on the lawyer to the gravity of the legal disputes. According to him, the case involves "billions in embezzlement," and while the court of first instance has already ruled in favor of the employer, Prigor claims the judges "simply feared" public scrutiny, investigations, and administrative pressure.

The "Panic Button" System and Fears for Her Life

A security protocol known as the "panic button" existed between Grinchuk and the union leadership. If the lawyer failed to check in for an extended period, her confidants were instructed to immediately signal Prigor. This mechanism was triggered when Grinchuk’s friends began calling the Secretary en masse after failing to reach her.

As of now, there has been no contact with Oksana Grinchuk for over 24 hours, and her phone remains switched off. Andrey Prigor openly expressed his darkest fears: "I am afraid she is no longer alive." Citing the inaction of local authorities or their potential involvement, SPK Amanat leadership intends to bring maximum international media attention to the incident.