A murder trial in Kazakhstan, the first in the oil-rich central Asian state’s history to be streamed live, has prompted a nationwide debate about violence against women and the impunity of the country’s political elite.
Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former economy minister, is accused of killing his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, by beating her savagely in the VIP hall of a restaurant owned by one of his relatives in Astana, the capital, in November.
A video of the attack is so shocking that members of the jury began crying when it was screened in court. The CCTV images show Bishimbayev, 44, kicking and punching his wife while interrogating her about her sexual relations before their marriage.
Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former economy minister, was accused of killing his wife
AP
When Nukenova, 31, falls to the floor, he yanks her up
