14 May 2024
Central Asia, Lead Story, Home, Justice, Kazakhstan Supplementary Stories, Kazakhstan Justice, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Kazakhstan, Opinions, Kazakhstan Opinions, Kazakhstan Home

Kuandyk Bishimbayev Given 24 Years in Prison — But Kazakhs Ask How Long He Will Really Serve

On May 13, Kazakhstan’s former Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the torture and murder of his common law wife Saltanat Nukenova in November 2023.

While the length of the sentence is a victory for advocates against gender-based violence, both within Kazakhstan and in the many parts of Europe where the trial was also followed closely, many Kazakhs feel that it is still too early to say that justice has been done. In an open discussion that is rare in Central Asia, many citizens are posting concern on social media that the Nazarbayev-era official will find a way to get out of prison early: there is already speculation that Bishimbayev, a former member of the country’s elite, will leverage his political connections to secure an early release – or be recognized as terminally ill.

Attempting to quell these fears, state prosecutor Aizhan Aimaganova has stated that under Kazakhstani law, Bishimbayev will be able to apply for parole only after serving 16 years, two-thirds of his sentence – and only then with the consent of Saltanat Nukenova’s family, guided by her brother, Aitbek Amangeldy.

Saltanat Nukenova’s murder has shown that civil society is very much alive in President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s Kazakhstan. Shortly after her death in late November last year, a public movement called Zhana Adamdar organized an authorized rally in Almaty to raise awareness about violence against women and children.

Yesterday, on the day of sentencing, supporters of another Kazakh feminist movement, Feminita, protested in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city. The group is demanding life imprisonment for Saltanat Nukenova’s murderer.

“We do not agree with this sentence; [Bishimbayev] should sit in prison for life. He will come out sooner anyway – we urge you never to be silent: if you have the desire and will for it, resist,” Vlast.kz quoted Feminita co-founder Zhanar Sekerbaeva as saying.

The spokesperson for the Astana court where Bishimbayev was sentenced, Alma Yesymova, has commented that he has received the maximum possible sentence for the crimes he was found guilty of: murder and torture.

“The punishment was imposed for committing a particularly grave crime – murder. The sanction for this is a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment. And by partial addition of terms [Bishimbayev] was given four more years for torture. Under the law the very maximum sentence is 25 years, while he was given 24 years,” Yesymova said at a press conference after the trial.

The trial itself drew criticism from Kazakhstan’s legal professionals. Lawyers and human rights activists are unsatisfied with how both the prosecution and the defense were conducted.

Following Nukenova’s death, Tokayev signed a Decree in December 2023 to improve human rights and rule of law, including by promoting gender equality, combatting any form of domestic violence and enhancing the performance of the criminal justice system (which, among other things, involves increasing penalties for perpetrators of domestic violence). The human rights components of the President’s reform agenda was also noted by Human Rights Watch.

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Times of Central Asia

13 May 2024

@prokuratura.tj

Central Asia, Justice, Tajikistan International Affairs, International Affairs, Tajikistan

Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan and U.S. State Department Sign Memorandum of Cooperation

Tajikistan and the U.S. have agreed to continue bilateral legal cooperation in various areas, as reported by the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Tajikistan. During the meeting, Prosecutor General of Tajikistan, Rahmon Yusuf Ahmadzoda and the U.S. Ambassador to the Tajikistan, Manuel Mikaller discussed issues related to the exchange of information on challenges and threats to the security of both states, the protection of the rights and interests of citizens, preventing and combating manifestations of violent extremism and terrorism, cyber-crime, transnational organized crime, and other issues. A Memorandum of Intent on cooperation on the implementation of the Personal Identity Comparison and Evaluation System to Regulate the Movement of Terrorists (PISCES) was signed.

“This system allows the movement of terrorists to be tracked through extensive technological surveillance, as well as assisting in their capture and apprehension,” the report stated.

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Times of Central Asia

13 May 2024
Central Asia, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Local Politics, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

A Steep Rise in Popularity of Women-Only Carriages on Kazakhstan’s Trains

Since the beginning of this year, some 70 thousand women in Kazakhstan have opted to travel by train in carriages designated as “women’s cars”. According to data provided  by the national carrier “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” (KTZ), this is a steep rise from the 34,000 who used the same carriages in 2023.

Introduced at the beginning of 2021, the service which female travellers deem safer and more comfortable than mainstream carriages, has now been used by over 359 thousand women.

Outlining the initiative, KTZh explained that tickets for women’s cars ,  available on eight trains, are sold only to women and are staffed exclusively by female conductors. Any males travelling must be seven years’ old or under.

With reference to forward planning, the company stated,  “A social survey is currently being conducted on the project. Once collated, the results should provide a better understanding of the needs and preferences of passengers, and subsequently, help determine a strategy for its future development.”

The need to launch women-only cars in Kazakhstan was spurred by public outrage following the rape of a female passenger  by two conductors on a high-speed train travelling the ‘Talgo’ route between  Astana   and Aktobe in the fall of 2018. During the ensuing  high-profile case in  July 2019, conductors Zhetes Umbetaliyev and Kolkanat Kurmaniyazov were found guilty and sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

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Times of Central Asia

13 May 2024

Former Minister of the National Economy, Kuandyk Bishimbayev; image from the Astana court session.

Central Asia, Kazakhstan Lead Story, Lead Supplementrary 1, Home, Justice, Kazakhstan Justice, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Featurees

Breaking: Bishimbayev Sentenced to 24 Years for the Murder of Saltanat Nukenova

Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan under then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was sentenced on Monday to 24 years in prison in the specialized inter-district investigative court of Astana for torturing and murdering his common-law wife, Saltanat Nukenova, at the Gastrocenter Restaurant on November 9, 2023.

The verdict and sentence in an Astana courtroom followed a live-streamed trial that galvanized discussion about domestic violence in Kazakhstan and tested the ability of the criminal justice system to hold the powerful and influential to account. Rallies in support of Nukenova spread outside of Kazakhstan, and were staged in Czechia, Georgia, Italy, Spain, and numerous other countries.

A rally in Prague in support of Saltanat Nukenova. Image Source: Asel Kamiyeva

Judge Aizhan Kulbaeva read out the ruling after a jury trial as Bishimbayev stood in the glass-paneled dock, his head bowed at one point. He had acknowledged beating Nukenova and said his actions, which were captured on CCTV video, led to her death. But he claimed he did not intend to kill her.

“Bishimbayev Kuandyk Alikhanovich has been found guilty of committing criminal offenses under p. 1. 2 part 2 of article 110 (“Torture”) and point 5 part 2 of article 99 (“Murder”). 2 part 2 of article 99 (“Murder”) of the Criminal Code,” stated the judge. He was sentenced to 7 years on the first count, and 20 years on the second, which after a partial addition of terms amounted to 24 years in prison.

Image from the Astana court session

In addition, the director of Gastrocenter, Bakhytzhan Baizhanov was found guilty of harboring a particularly serious crime in advance and sentenced to four years in prison in a medium security penal institution, with time already served being taken into account.

During the trial, as public outrage over Nukenova’s killing simmered in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a new law in April in line with OECD standards which tightens the penalties for domestic violence and provides more help for survivors. The legislation became widely-dubbed, “Saltanat’s Law.”

The response to Saltanat Nukenova’s harrowing attack signals a positive trend for women’s rights in the region. The case quickly advanced to a jury trial, given full transparency via a live broadcast, with a female prosecutor at the helm — a clear stance on gender violence in Kazakhstan.

Human Rights Watch commended the law as a step forward, but say it should have designated domestic violence as “stand-alone offense,” which would allow other types of violence within the family, such as psychological or sexual, to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. The UNDP, meanwhile, commended “legislative initiatives protecting women’s [and] children’s rights,” calling them a “crucial step towards equality, justice [and] safety for all citizens” that “lay a foundation for a stable, prosperous society.”

This is not be the first time that Bishimbayev has been sentenced. In 2018 he received a ten-year sentence for accepting bribes, but after less than a year later he was pardoned by then-president Nazarbayev.

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Times of Central Asia

13 May 2024
Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Environment, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy

Turkish Company to Manufacture Irrigation Equipment in Kyrgyzstan

This summer, a Turkish company will begin construction on a plant for the manufacture of equipment for drip and sprinkler irrigation in Kyrgyzstan.

The memorandum on the project was signed on May 13 by Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry Bakyt Torobaev and the head of the company Akplas Plastik San. Ve Tic. A.S.

To instigate the first stage of the build, the Turkish company will invest $10 million and the factory should be completed and fully operational within eight months.

Reiterating the need for a more efficient use of water, in the light of climate change, Minister Torobaev stated that the new irrigation systems are to be installed in regions throughout Kyrgyzstan.

In addition to providing the necessary equipment, the Turkish company in liaison with the state, will provide training for local farmers.

Company representatives also met with the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov, who emphasized the country’s readiness to support entrepreneurs investing in Kyrgyzstan.

 

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Times of Central Asia

13 May 2024
Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan To Work With Hungary on Nuclear Projects

Hungary will train nuclear engineers from Uzbekistan to work in Uzbek power plants, the country’s trade minister Peter Szijjarto announced during his recent visit to Tashkent.

“Since we have several decades of experience in the field of nuclear power, we have already started training future Uzbek nuclear power specialists in Hungary,” Sijjarto wrote on social media.

He noted that if a contract with Rosatom is signed for the construction of a nuclear power plant on the territory of Uzbekistan, it will use the Hungarian technology of cooling on the basis of a “dry” cooling tower. A similar method is already used by the Hungarian company Eniox, which is ready to provide financing to Hungary’s Eximbank Hungary in the amount of 130 million euros when participating in the Uzbek nuclear project.

Hungary has now started construction of the Russian-designed Paksh-2 NPP of generation “3+” with two power units based on VVER-1200 reactors. Operating since 1982, the Paksh NPP will start to be decommissioned from 2032.

“In the current energy crisis, the ability to produce nuclear energy has become extremely valuable. Without nuclear energy, Europe would not have a secure energy supply and affordable energy,” Sijjarto emphasized.

As the world’s fifth-largest exporter of uranium, Uzbekistan is attracting Japanese and Chinese companies that are actively developing uranium in the republic, especially with a focus on black shale.

According to data for 2022, Uzbekistan has reserves of 49,200 tons of uranium and about 32,900 tons of uranium in black shale.  The deposits are mainly concentrated in sandstones of the Kyzylkum desert.

Today, uranium mined in the country is exported abroad by companies such as Itochu (Japan), Cameco (Canada), CNEIC (China) and others.

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