Murder - The Times Of Central Asia

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Tajik-Born Artist Sabina Rosas Found Dead in U.S. Hotel

Sabina Rosas, a 33-year-old artist also known as Sabina Khorramdel, was found murdered in a hotel room in the Hamptons in the state of New York, according to the British tabloid the Daily Mail. Born in Tajikistan, Rosas moved to the U.S. in 2009. Her body was discovered on October 28 by staff at the Shou Sugi Ban House spa hotel. Police suspect her partner, 56-year-old Thomas Gannon, in the murder. Gannon was later found dead at his Pennsylvania home, with authorities confirming he had died by suicide. The couple had been seen together at a spa in Water Mill, where CCTV captured Gannon leaving alone. Suffolk County police have described Rosas’s murder as a domestic incident. In 2023 Rosas co-founded Ruyò Journal, a platform to support Central Asian cultural dialogue and community. Just before her birthday, she started a fundraiser to travel to Portugal, where she planned to host her first artist residency in November. She hoped it would provide a beautiful and inspiring space for creating new work. Announcing her plans, she had said: “I will also launch my artist website to create the perfect digital space to showcase my art." “As I am about to turn 33, I can’t help but laugh at the fact that 33 is often associated with the age of Jesus when he made his final sacrifice. Although I don’t plan on doing anything dramatic, I consider this year a turning point in my life,” Sabina wrote shortly before her death.

Court Cases Murder Criminal Responsibility incident Organized Crime Crime

Murder and Arson in Talgar: Kazakhs Fear Rising Tide of Organized Crime

On the night of October 4, 16-year-old Sherzat Bolat was killed in the town of Talgar, located in Almaty Oblast near the city of Almaty. The father of the victim blamed the incident on a gang - allegedly operating in Talgar and the surrounding area for many years - with connections to the government and law enforcement agencies. Later, unknown people burned down the family's house, and National Guard troops were brought into Talgar. The situation brings to mind the darkest pages of recent history, when criminal groups held cities and entire neighborhoods in a state of fear. The Talgar tragedy Sherzat Bolat was murdered in front of his father and mother after an incident occurred involving young people who entered the store the Bolat family rented. As stated by the boy's father, the customers refused to pay for a can of beer, and a fight broke out. According to other relatives, the group had knives and firearms. Sherzat's uncle was also injured during the fight and is recovering in hospital. Police initially claimed that all those involved in the incident had been detained, but the parents of the deceased later said that only seven had been arrested, while there were many more attackers. Fearing that the perpetrators would not be brought to justice, on October 7 Sherzat's relatives and concerned citizens of Talgar staged a rally at which Sherzat's father, Karzhaubai Nurymov, claimed that the so-called “Khutorskie” group was responsible for the boy's death. According to multiple reports, the Khutorskie have been terrorizing Talgar and its surroundings areas for many years. Businessman Hasan Kasymbayev allegedly runs the group, whilst sources also mention his brothers, including Yerzhan Kasymbayev, who was sentenced to 14 years for the murder of customs officer Medet Zhamashev, and Aslan Kasymbayev, head of the Talgar district Akim's (mayoral) office. In addition, the Kasymbayevs are said to be related to an official who once held high positions in law enforcement agencies. According to concerned residents of Talgar, the perpetrators of the boy's murder may be able to avoid justice due to their connections. In a statement, the acting head of the regional police department denied the involvement of any organized crime groups in the murder; the investigation has now been taken over by the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, which has dispatched a team to the scene of the crime. In an interview, Hasan Kasymbayev, who posted controversial photos on social networks, categorically denied his involvement in the murder of the teenager and any participation in an organized crime group. Despite assurances from officials, on October 12, the house of Sherzat's family in the village of Azat, Yenbekshikazakh district, Almaty region, was burned down. Police opened a criminal case and took the murdered teenager's family into protective custody. The house was empty at the time of the fire. The murder and arson have caused a sharp reaction in Talgar and led to a wider reverberations throughout Kazakhstan. Former Minister of Education and Mazhilis deputy, Askhat Aimagambetov, stated...

Konibodom Murder

Men in Black Blamed for Series of Murders in Northern Tajikistan

By Bruce Pannier People in the Konibodom area of northern Tajikistan are locking themselves in their homes when darkness falls. Some are arming themselves. Others have left altogether out of fear. There appears to be a serial killer or killers on the loose. At least 13 people have been murdered in their homes in or near Konibodom since late March, and local police seem baffled as to who is doing this or why. It started with the killing of five members of the Sharipov family in late March. Initially investigators believed the 65-year-old head of the house had killed his wife, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, then hanged himself, but they later determined someone broke into the home and the killer hanged the man to make it look like a domestic dispute and suicide. On the night of April 16-17, someone broke into a home in the Gafurjon Ortikov neighborhood of Konibodom and killed the husband and wife who lived there. Police said the bodies of the victims, whom police did not identify, bore the signs of a violent death. The most recent killings happened on the night of May 28-29 in the village of Sanjidzor, outside Konibodom. Mahbuba Ahmedova and her two children were killed in their home and that same night, at a different house, the deputy director of a local school, Zulho Ibragimova, her brother and brother’s wife were killed. Local law enforcement said preliminary evidence showed all six people were strangled. Locals speak about men in black who break into people’s homes at night and kill them. A video was posted, purportedly from a surveillance camera in Konibodom, that shows a person with black clothing and a black hood or mask trying to break into a home. Konibodom resident Mahsuda Kodirova said she and her daughter were sitting in the courtyard of their home a little after 10 in the evening on June 11, when a man in black clothing with a black mask suddenly appeared and approached them. Kadirova said she and her daughter screamed and ran out into the street. When the police arrived, they told Kadirova they had received many similar calls from terrified residents during the previous 48 hours. Understandably, there is panic in Konibodom. Many of the men, especially the young men of Konibodom, are currently migrant laborers in Russia who are supporting their elderly parents, wives, and children back home. The bodies of Mahbuba Ahmendova and her two children were found by neighbors after Ahmedova’s husband had been calling her from Russia and finally called a neighbor to go and check on his family. Konibodom is near the border with Kyrgyzstan and the population of the city is mixed, mostly Tajiks, but many Kyrgyz as well. Most of the victims have been ethnic Tajiks, but Ibragimova, her brother, and her brother’s wife were Kyrgyz. The seeming randomness of the victims puts everyone on edge, at least everyone still there. The Tajik news outlet Asia-Plus sent its reporters to Sanjidzor after the...

Saltanat Nukenova Bishimbayev Murder Trial Murder

Video of Beating of Saltanat Nukenova on the Day of Her Death Presented in Court

At the fourth court session on April 3 of the murder case of Saltanat Nukenova, a video was presented which depicts the moment of her beating on the day of her death. The video shows former Minister of the National Economy, Kuandyk Bishimbayev, delivering several blows to Nukenova's head area after they went up to the second floor of a restaurant at 7:17 a.m. on November 8, 2023. The video also shows Nukenova falling to the floor after the blows, and then Bishimbayev begin kicking her in the buttocks area. He then lifted her up by the hair and once again hit her hard in the head. These events were described by the prosecutor, Aizhan Aimaganova at the trial. "He hit her again. She fell down again. Then he lifted the latter by the hair and dragged her to stall number one. Further, at 8:08am, Bishimbayev left the stall with a bare torso, took alcohol from the bar and returned again. At 9:27 a.m. Bishimbayev exited again with his bare torso into the common area and returned within a minute. At 9:58, Baizhanov arrived at the restaurant," the prosecutor said. The victim's lawyers asked the jury to pay attention to the fact that on the video recording Saltanat Nukenova tried to stay away from Bishimbayev and behaved calmly, even when the ex-minister pressed her against the wall and hit her. The defendant's lawyers stated that Bishimbayev was just "stroking" Nukenova's face. In response, the victim's side expressed indignation. The court session ended with the announcement that the next session is scheduled for April 4 at 10:00.