44-year-old former Kazakhstan judge accused of murdering his 31-year-old wife Saltanat Nukenova economy Images of the moments when minister and businessman Kuandyk Bishimbaev used violence for eight hours before killing his wife have emerged.
Although Bishimbaev pleaded not guilty, he eventually admitted in court that he had beaten his wife and caused her death “accidentally”. Bishimbaev, who was convicted of bribery in 2018, was pardoned after serving only two years of his ten-year sentence.
Nukenova’s body was found in the BAU restaurant in Astana, owned by a relative of her husband. Security camera footage showed Bishimbayev holding his wife by her hair and pulling her out of the camera’s field of view. Nukenova’s mother stated that her daughter was tortured for eight hours and that her daughter died due to brain trauma as a result of blows to the head.
Bishimbayev’s lawyers initially questioned the medical evidence cited as the cause of Nukenova’s death and attempted to portray Bishimbayev’s wife as jealous and violent. However, no security camera footage was presented in court showing Nukenova attacking Bishimbaev.
Restaurant employees were not allowed to call medical teams and were ordered to delete security camera recordings under the pretext of a technical malfunction.
This case was published online for the first time in Kazakhstan, making it available to 19 million people. Nukenova’s death sparked outrage in the country and led to calls for new laws to combat domestic violence. Tens of thousands of people have signed petitions for new laws that will hold criminals accountable. Senators approved legislation called the “Sultanate Act” that would crack down on intimate partner violence.
Nukenova’s brother, Aitbek Amangeldy, said he believed his sister’s tragic fate had changed attitudes about domestic violence in Kazakhstan. At the court session on April 1, Bishimbayev apologized to Nukenova’s family and said, “It was always very difficult for me to accept her death. I am sorry. I do not expect forgiveness, but this is my responsibility.”
