A jury in Astana found the former Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Bishimbayev guilty of murdering his wife Saltanat Nukenova.
The court also imposed a prison sentence on his cousin Bakhitzhan Baizhanov, the director of the BAU restaurant where Saltanat Nukenova was killed.
Former Minister of Economy Bishimbayev was found guilty of murder with extreme cruelty and torture of his wife. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
The court also ordered Bishimbayev to pay two million tenge ($4.5 thousand) to the state for legal costs and 103 thousand tenge ($233) to the Victim Compensation Fund.
The second person involved in the case, Baizhanov, was found guilty of concealing a crime. He was sentenced to four years in prison.
After the verdict was announced, Nukenova’s brother Aitbek Amangeldy told reporters that the family expected such a sentence for Bishimbayev.
“In principle, we will stop at this time. In 24 years he will be 68 years old. This is almost a life sentence,” Amangeldy noted.
What did Bishimbayev admit to?
On May 8, Bishimbayev and the second defendant in the case, Bakhitzhan Baizhanov, made their final statements at the trial. Both defendants read out a prepared speech.
Bishimbayev spoke first, starting with thoughts about God and the trials that a person encounters on the path of life. He compared the events of the day Nukenova died to God's "test."
“Whether we like it or not, whether we realize it or not, we pass his test every day. Test for highest moral values. On that day, I must say, on that night from November 8 to 9 (the time of my wife’s death - Ed.), I did not pass this test […] My actions caused the death of the person I loved,” Bishimbayev said.
The defendant emphasized that he did not want Nukenova to die and “did not imagine such an outcome” of the events of that evening.
“I am guilty, but not of premeditated murder. From the first minute of detention, I told the truth about the circumstances of that day, I did not try, although I had every opportunity, to escape and avoid responsibility,” said the former Minister of Economy.
He asked the jury to “be objective and fair” against the backdrop of how the authorities, according to Bishimbayev, are working against him “with an accusatory and biased bias,” and what he believes is incitement of hatred on social networks.
Baizhanov, the second defendant, noted in his last word that, on his instructions, video recordings from cameras in the restaurant where Nukenova died were deleted. In addition, on his instructions, they brought women's clothing and took the deceased's phone, taking it to another place.
However, according to the defendant, he did not know that a serious crime had occurred, as a result of which Nukenova died that day. Both defendants apologized to the family and friends of the deceased.
How the position of Bishimbayev and his defense changed
During his last word, Bishimbayev admitted that he was guilty of causing grievous bodily harm resulting in the death of his wife. The former minister does not agree with the accusations of torture of Nukenova and her murder with particular cruelty.
Bishimbayev said several times during the trial that he did not admit guilt in the murder of his wife. He and his defense insist that Nukenova died from injuries caused by falling and hitting her head on the toilet and the restaurant floor.
At the previous hearing on March 11, the ex-minister's lawyers generally petitioned to change the article to a softer one - causing death by negligence. If for murder with extreme cruelty Bishimbayev faces up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence, then for death by negligence - up to three years in prison.
Bishimbayev’s defense argued at previous hearings that “the defendant did not have the intent to kill and did not push Nukenova with his feet.”
“Indeed, there was a conflict in the restaurant. All of Bishimbayev’s actions were aimed at calming Saltanat Nukenova,” the lawyer said.
Later, after the video of the beating was made public, the ex-minister admitted that he pushed his wife “on the thigh” and hit her in the face to bring her to her senses. Bishimbayev and his defense claim that they did not prove the motive for Nukenova’s murder in court.
What details of the case became known in court?
At the trial it became known that Bishimbayev forbade his wife to work, advise people on astrology, and controlled her. According to the state prosecution, the ex-minister used physical and psychological violence against Nukenova, and the motive for the murder was his jealousy.
Prosecutor Aizhan Aimaganova read out Nukenova’s note, which she recorded on her phone. “I’m not your toy, I’m not your child, [to] constantly scare me and repeat the same thing - I’m not an imbecile, if you haven’t noticed. I don’t want to listen to what and how I should do 24/7. After every quarrel, I come to my senses for a day, and then I need to mind my own business, meet you with a smile, and God forbid I be tired,” the prosecutor quoted Nukenova.
During the trial, Bishimbayev's phone was unlocked. Judge Aizhan Kulbaeva examined the phone and played 12 videos that the ex-minister filmed in a restaurant and in a car on November 9, before his wife’s death. In these videos, Bishimbayev insults Nukenova and asks her about past sexual relationships.
The forensic examination concluded that Nukenova died as a result of a traumatic brain injury: death occurred 6-8 hours before the ambulance arrived.
According to the state prosecution, three people in the restaurant called on Bishimbayev more than fifteen times to call an ambulance, but doctors were called only on the morning of November 9.
Forensic expert Takhir Khalimnazarov told the court that Nukenova had a shrapnel fracture of her nose, which cannot be caused by hitting a flat surface - that is, the floor, as Bishimbayev and his lawyers claim.
“For [the nose] to crumble, you have to hit a person against the toilet. This is not such a distance that a person’s body would accelerate and hit like that. This height is not enough to generate such kinetic energy of the body and to receive such a serious injury,” the specialist said.
Moreover, at the trial it became known that as a result of injuries, Nukenova developed a brain hematoma with a volume of 230 ml of blood - this is considered a fatal indicator.
The examination, in addition, concluded that on the day of death Nukenova was not drunk: the alcohol content in her blood was insignificant. On the contrary, Bishimbayev claimed that Nukenova drank three bottles of sparkling wine with him in a restaurant and “sorted things out with him.”
How the trial of Bishimbayev affected Kazakhstan
The murder of astrologer Saltanat Nukenova and the trials had a great public resonance in Kazakhstan.
Thousands of posts have been published on social networks in defense of the murdered woman. Kazakhstanis also demanded that the adoption of the law on domestic violence be accelerated. Thus, an online petition, which was launched back in 2021, received more than 120 thousand signatures after the death of Nukenova and the detention of Bishimbayev.
The amendments, which are being considered in the parliament of Kazakhstan, have received the unofficial name “Saltanat law”. Back in 2023, on behalf of the President of Kazakhstan, parliamentarians initiated a bill to criminalize beatings. However, until January 2024, only the lower house of parliament, the Mazhilis, adopted the document.
On April 11, the Senate approved the bill in two readings. Four days later, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the law.
Thus, the authorities have tightened the punishment for beatings and minor bodily harm, increasing the fine by eight times and the term of arrest by two and a half times. Now for beatings the fine is up to 295 thousand tenge ($650), and the term of arrest is up to 25 days.
Moreover, the authorities began to quickly respond to reports of domestic violence committed by officials. On May 10, the Astana Police Department opened a criminal case against diplomat Saken Mamash, who previously worked as an adviser to the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates.
On May 6, the Foreign Ministry recalled Mamash from the UAE due to allegations of domestic violence. His wife Karina Mamash asked for help from the state through the NeMovchi KZ human rights foundation.
The organization published a video message from a Kazakh woman on social networks. In the video, the woman said that she had been subjected to physical, economic and emotional abuse for 10 years. She asked the state to help her and bring her husband to justice.
