Kazakhstan jails former minister for 24 years over wife's torture, murder (trigger warning)
Kazakhstan jails former minister for 24 years over wifes torture, murder (trigger warning)
United Nations says about 400 women die from domestic violence in Kazakhstan each year, but many cases go unreported.
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Kazakhstan's former Economy Minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev attends a court hearing in Astana [File: Turar Kazangapov/Reuters]
Published On 14 May 202414 May 2024
Warning: This article contains details of violent domestic abuse that some may find upsetting.
Kazakhstans top court has sentenced a former economy minister to 24 years in prison for torturing and murdering his wife, following a widely watched trial that many saw as a test of the presidents promise to strengthen womens rights. Kuandyk Bishimbayev, 44, was found guilty and sentenced by the Supreme Court on Monday. His trial, which has been broadcast live over the past seven weeks, has been seen as an attempt by authorities to send a message that members of the elite are no longer above the law.
Surveillance footage played during the trial showed Bishimbayev repeatedly punching and kicking his wife, 31-year-old Saltanat Nukenova, and dragging her by her hair, near naked, into the VIP room of a restaurant owned by his family in Astana. As she lay dying in the suite with no security cameras, covered in her blood, Bishimbayev phoned a fortune teller, who assured him his wife would be fine. When an ambulance finally arrived 12 hours later, Nukenova was pronounced dead at the scene. Videos were also found on Bishimbayevs mobile phone in which he insulted and humiliated the visibly bruised and bloodied Nukenova in the hours before she lost consciousness on the morning of November 9 last year.
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This June 2017 photo provided by Aitbek Amangeldy shows a selfie taken by his sister, Saltanat Nukenova, in Astana [Courtesy of Aitbek Amangeldy via AP]
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said he wants to build a fairer society including improved rights for women. The case has helped rally public support behind a law criminalising domestic violence, which parliament passed last month. Days after Nukenovas death, her relatives launched an online petition urging authorities to pass Saltanats Law to bolster protection for those at risk of domestic violence. When the trial began, more than 5,000 Kazakhs wrote to senators urging for tougher laws on abuse, according to local media reports. Government data show that one in six women in the Central Asian nation has experienced violence by a male partner. According to the United Nations, about 400 women die from domestic abuse in the country each year. These figures could be higher as many cases go unreported.
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Kuandyk Bishimbayev, the countrys former economy minister, is escorted into court in Astana, Kazakhstan. [File: The Kazakhstan Supreme Court Press Office Telegram channel via AP]
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/14/kazakhstan-jails-former-minister-for-24-years-over-wifes-torture-murder
littlemissmartypants
(24,754 posts)He looks unrepentant to me.
I'm an IPV survivor. Many women aren't. We owe them.
https://www.thehotline.org/identify-abuse/power-and-control/
Thanks, niyad.
❤️
niyad
(118,731 posts)Would you consider posting that graphic as its own OP, both here and in GD. It absolutely MUST be widely seen.
littlemissmartypants
(24,754 posts)littlemissmartypants
(24,754 posts)Snip...
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killing by or on behalf of the government; torture by and on behalf of the government; arbitrary detention; political prisoners; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; punishment of family members for offenses allegedly committed by an individual; serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence or threats of violence against journalists; serious restrictions on internet freedom; substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association; serious and unreasonable restrictions on political participation; serious government corruption; and significant restrictions on workers freedom of association.
The government selectively prosecuted officials who committed abuses, especially in high-profile corruption cases. Nonetheless, corruption remained widespread, and impunity existed for many in positions of authority as well as for members of law enforcement agencies.
Snip...
Prison and Detention Center Conditions
Prison conditions were generally harsh and sometimes life threatening, and facilities did not meet international health standards. Health problems among prisoners went untreated in many cases, or prison conditions exacerbated them. Prisons faced serious shortages of medical staff.
Physical Conditions: The NPM reported poor health and sanitary conditions and poor medical services, including for prisoners suffering from HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, and diabetes. The NPM also reported discrimination against prisoners in vulnerable groups, including prisoners with disabilities and prisoners with HIV or AIDS.
Snip..
https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/kazakhstan/
Obviously this report is dated. I doubt much has changed since 2021. I hope he stays put this time and serves out his entire sentence. There's certainly a lot of hoopla around the case.
❤️pants