In a display of violence that has shocked a nation, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former Kazakh economy minister, now stands trial for the brutal killing of his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, 31, in a case that has sparked widespread outrage and a major societal reckoning with domestic violence in Kazakhstan.
Bishimbayev, 44, a once-promising leader educated in the West, had previously been imprisoned for bribery in 2018 but was pardoned less than two years into his ten-year sentence.
Nukenova, his third wife, was discovered dead in November 2023 at a restaurant owned by a relative of Bishimbayev. The suspect has been accused of her torture and murder. After maintaining his innocence for weeks, he confessed in court in mid-April 2024 to having assaulted her, claiming it was unintentional.
The trial, unprecedented for being the first in Kazakhstan to be live-streamed, allows millions to witness the shocking realities of domestic abuse firsthand. This access has catalyzed significant public discourse and legislative action, with tens of thousands rallying for tougher domestic violence laws culminating in the enactment of “Saltanat’s Law,” which aims to offer greater protections to victims.
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage from the restaurant owned by a relative of Bishimbayev shows the suspect assaulting Nukenova violently, dragging her by the hair and beating and kicking her, an act which led to her death from brain trauma within hours after the video was taken. This footage played a pivotal role in the trial and the public’s reaction.
Aitbek Amangeldy, Nukenova’s brother and a key prosecution witness, feels that the public broadcast of the trial serves as a grim educational tool, shedding light on the brutal realities of domestic abuse that many women face silently. “It changes people’s minds when they see directly what it looks like when a person is tortured,” Amangeldy stated.
The reaction to the trial and the subsequent legislation marks a significant shift in Kazakhstan, a country where domestic violence has long been a pervasive but underreported issue. Despite significant challenges in changing deep-seated cultural norms and legal inadequacies, the trial has ignited what many are calling a “collective awakening” among both policymakers and the public.
Women’s rights advocate Aigerim Kussainkyzy remarked that the trial could be seen as the “trial of the century,” prompting a reevaluation of the societal implications of domestic abuse, particularly among male politicians who are now forced to confront the potential realities their own daughters could face.
Further illustrating the systemic issues at play, reports indicate that legal actions against domestic violence offenders are rarely pursued to their full extent, with many victims discouraged from pressing charges due to societal pressures and an uncooperative police force. The tragic story of a woman named Ulzhan in Almaty, who recorded a policeman discouraging her from pursuing a criminal complaint against her abuser, highlights the systemic resistance to addressing such crimes seriously.
This trial, beyond its immediate legal ramifications for Bishimbayev, represents a pivotal moment for Kazakhstan. It’s a call to action for a societal overhaul in attitudes toward women and a push for more robust legal frameworks to protect them from violence.