Kuandyk Bishimbayev: 5 Things to Know About Ex-Kazakh Minister Who Killed His Wife

New Delhi: The trial of Kazakhstan's former economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev in the death of his wife Saltanat Nukenova last month sent shockwaves across the Central Asian country with thousands of people signing up petitions calling for harsher penalties for domestic violence. The CCTV footage played at the domestic abuse trial showed disturbing visuals of Bishimbayev dragging his wife by her hair, and then punching and kicking her. Hours after it was recorded, she died of brain trauma.

Here is why it's a high-profile case:

• Bishimbayev’s trial was the first such case in the country of over 19 million people to be streamed online.
• Nukenova's death sparked fresh debates on social media about the country's existing laws on domestic abuse and violence.
• Several activists are viewing it as a moment of truth for the president's promises of reforms and holding the officials accountable.

Here's what we know about Kuandyk Bishimbayev:

• Bishimbayev, who was charged with torturing and killing his wife, for weeks maintained his innocence but eventually admitted in court that he had beaten her and “unintentionally” caused her death, Associated Press reported.
• Once seen as a fresh, Western-educated face of Kazakhstan’s government under former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kuandyk Bishimbayev was arrested in 2017 on bribery charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Reuters. 
• The 44-year-old businessman, however, was issued pardons less than two years into his 10-year sentence, following which he walked free after less than three years behind bars.
• In late 2016, Bishimbayev – after just a few months in office – was dismissed from his ministerial post by then President Nursultan Nazarbayev, media reports suggest.

Progress has been slow on issues such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, and disparities in employment in Kazakhstan, which to this date, largely remains a patriarchal society.

According to a 2018 study backed by UN Women, the United Nations’ gender equality agency, about 400 women die from domestic violence each year in Kazakhstan, the AP reported, adding that many abuse cases go unreported.

(With inputs from the Associated Press and Reuters)