Getty Bishimbayev trial hearing.
A former economic minister from Kazakhstan was accused of beating his wife Saltanat Nukenova to death in a family restaurant, in a scene captured on CCTV video that was played during the country’s first live-streamed trial.
That’s according to Reuters, which reported that Kuandyk Bishimbayev, 44, was found guilty of torture and murder by a court after a televised trial that transfixed Kazakhstan and helped change domestic violence laws. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison on May 13, Reuters reported.
Surveillance video from the restaurant showed Bishimbayev “repeatedly punching and kicking his wife,” and then “dragging her by her hair, near-naked, into a room where she later died,” Reuters reported. Be forewarned that the videos are disturbing. The Times of India reported that the attack unfolded over an eight-hour time period, and, at one point, the victim tried to hide in a bathroom.
Because of Bishimbayev’s status, the trial became a litmus test on whether the country’s elite are unaccountable. “He used to be known as the golden boy of politics, tainted by a conviction for corruption, for which he was quickly pardoned by a previous president, seemingly untouchable,” NPR reported.
The victim was 31-year-old Saltanat Nukenova, Reuters reported. According to the Times of Central Asia, the murder occurred at Gastrocenter Restaurant on November 9, 2023.
#Kazakhstan court has sentenced former Economy Minister Quandyq Bishimbaev to 24 years in prison.
Bishimbaev was accused of viciously beating his wife, Saltanat Nukenova to death in a restaurant in November 2023.
The live-streamed trial sparked protests and “galvanized discussion about domestic violence in Kazakhstan and tested the ability of the criminal justice system to hold the powerful and influential to account,” Times of Central Asia reported.
“On Monday, May 13, Bishimbayev was sentenced to 24 years in prison for murdering 31-year-old Saltanat. His trial was the first to be live-streamed in the Central Asian country, making it easily accessible online to its 19.6 million population and people globally,” Equality Now wrote in a press release analyzing changes in Kazakhstan’s domestic violence laws as a result of the trial. “Disturbing CCTV footage showing Bishimbayev’s several-hour alleged assault on his wife has provoked outrage and demands for justice.”
The CCTV Video Shows Kuandyk Bishimbayev Kicking His Wife, Reports Say
A senior politician was jailed for 24 years in Kazakhstan today over a brutal eight-hour beating of his wife.
Saltanat Nukenova, 31, died of brain trauma after the vicious attack by her husband Kuandyk Bishimbayev, 44, a former economy minister in the oil-rich state.
Reuters reported that other videos on the suspect’s phone showed him insulting and humiliating “the visibly bruised and bloodied Nukenova over the final hours before she lost consciousness.”
According to the Times of Central Asia, Bishimbayev admitted beating Nukenova but said he did not mean to kill her.
“In the video recorded in a VIP room at a relative’s restaurant, you can see a shirtless Bishimbayev dragging her around by the hair, slamming her against walls as she falls to the ground repeatedly,” NPR reported.
According to NPR, Nukenova died of brain trauma. Her husband admitted “he called a fortune-teller to seek guidance,” as she lay dying. He eventually called an ambulance, but it was too late, NPR reported.
An important day for #Kazakhstan and the fight against domestic violence. Its former economy minister Quandyq Bishimbaev was sentenced to 24 years in prison. He was accused of viciously beating his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, for hours in a restaurant that belonged to a relative.…
According to NPR, he told the court, “I didn’t kill her with any malice or any intent,” leading to the victim’s mother responding, “How dare you say you didn’t brutally kill her? They didn’t even let me see my daughter, see her face when I buried her.”
According to Daily Mail, the couple met when she provided him with “astrological services,” and she tried repeatedly to leave him.
Kazakhstan Decriminalized Some Acts of Domestic Violence in 2017, But the Death of Saltanat Nukenova Sparked a New Law Toughening Sanctions
Congratulations to all women of Kazakhstan! Kuandyk Bishimbajev, who was sistematically beating his wife Saltanat Nukenova and then murdered her, was sentenced for 24 years of prison.
Dear Saltanat, rest in peace.
Equality Now wrote in a May 13 press release, “In 2017, Kazakhstan decriminalized beatings and other acts causing ‘minor’ physical harm, with the punishment reduced to an arrest, fine, or warning. Now, the high-profile trial of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a businessman and former Minister of Economy who has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, has sparked national debate and legal reform.”
The site noted, “a new law to address domestic violence was recently introduced, but legal experts say the legislation must be strengthened further and properly enforced to ensure greater protection of women and girls.”
In 2018, a UN study found that 400 women die from domestic violence in Kazakhstan each year.
According to Equality Now, “Responding to public outcry, on April 11, senators approved a bill dubbed “Saltanat’s Law.” Four days later, President Tokayev signed the legislation, which aims to close gaps in legal protections against domestic violence by criminalizing battery and intentional harm to health.” However, the site wrote that the new laws do not go far enough.
UNDP Kazakhstan wrote on its X page in April 2024, “.@UNDPKAZ commends legislative initiatives protecting women’s & children’s rights, a crucial step towards equality, justice, & safety for all citizens. These changes enhance protection for vulnerable groups & lay a foundation for a stable, prosperous society.”
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