A court in Astana on June 26 rejected an appeal filed by former Kazakh Economy Minister Quandyq Bishimbaev against the 24-year prison term he was handed last month for the murder of his wife, Saltanat Nukenova. The court also upheld a four-year prison term handed to Baqytzhan Baizhanov, a relative of Bishimbaev, for failing to report the crime, which he witnessed. The high-profile trial that started in late March was followed online by millions of people in Kazakhstan and elsewhere. Bishimbaev was arrested in November after he beat his 31-year-old wife for hours in an Astana restaurant. The jury found him guilty of torture, murder with extreme violence, and repeatedly committing serious crimes. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Ex-Minister Bishimbaev Loses Appeal Against Imprisonment For Wife's Murder
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