Kazakhstan is completely in the grip of a trial in which the former Minister of Economy is on trial for the death of his wife Saltanat Nukenova (31). Ex-minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev (44) beat his wife so hard that she died. Many women hope that things will change in their country when it comes to domestic violence.
LOOK. Ex-minister from Kazakhstan beats his wife in a restaurant
The trial has hit a nerve in the largely Asian country that shares a border with Russia. Tens of thousands of people are petitioning for stricter penalties for domestic violence. The country with 19 million inhabitants is completely captivated by the process, which can be followed via live streams on the internet.
Saltanat Nukenova, 31, was found dead on November 9 in a restaurant owned by a relative of her husband. Ex-minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev (44), accused of torturing and killing his wife, maintained his innocence for weeks. He eventually admitted in court that he hit her and “unintentionally” caused her death.
Questions about sex life
Images from a surveillance camera leave little to the imagination. They show how Bishimbayev (44), father of four children, throws his wife to the ground, drags her by the hair and kicks her. The former minister simply went for a bite to eat in the restaurant afterwards. He did not care about his wife who was already in a coma at the time.
Videos were also found on his mobile phone showing his wife naked and bloodied while he asked her questions about her sex life before her marriage to him. Photos of Saltanat Nukenova (31) also emerged in which she was beaten black and blue. So it wasn’t the first time she got hit.
“Not a perfect wife”
Lawyers for Bishimbayev, 44, initially disputed medical evidence showing Nukenova, 31, died from repeated blows to the head. They tried to portray the woman as someone prone to jealousy and self-violent, although there was no evidence of this. According to his lawyer, “she was not a perfect wife.”
Aitbek Amangeldy, Nukenova’s older brother and a key witness in the trial, says he has no doubt that his sister’s tragic fate has changed attitudes towards domestic violence. He finds the video images gruesome, but does think they have an “educational value” that makes people think about domestic violence.
Twenty years in prison
The former politician Kuandyk Bishimbayev (44) was not without reproach. In 2018 he ended up in prison for bribery. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was pardoned after just two years. Bishimbayev faces up to 20 years in prison for assaulting his wife if found guilty.
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