A former finance minister was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for the murder of his wife Kazakhstan after a trial that attracted much interest as some saw it as a litmus test of the country’s new president’s promise to strengthen women’s rights.
Quandik Bisibaev, 44, was found guilty of torturing and murdering his wife. His trial, which has been televised live for the past seven weeks, was widely seen as an attempt by the authorities to send a message that the country’s elite are no longer above the law.
Video from closed circuit cameras shown at trial show Bishibaev repeatedly punching 31-year-old Saltanat Nukenova and dragging her by the hair, half-naked, into the room where she later died. Also found on his mobile phone were videos of him cursing and humiliating a visibly bruised and bloodied Nukenova, hours before she passed out on the morning of November 9, 2023.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who took over as the country’s leader five years ago, replacing veteran Kazakh leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, has said he wants to build a fairer society and improve women’s rights. The case helped gain popular support for the law to criminalize domestic violence, which was approved by parliament last month. According to official data, one in six women in Kazakhstan has suffered violence from their partner.
During the trial Bishibaev admitted to beating his wife but claimed that some of her injuries were self-inflicted. He also denied torturing her or planning to kill her.
Bishibaev was finance minister from May to December 2016. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for bribery but was released after serving less than three years after being granted amnesty.
Source: RES
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