The military court of the Almaty garrison has sentenced officer Zhanbot Shakirov in connection with the death of conscript Dosymzhan Salimzhan in the village of Saryozek, Zhetysu region. He was charged under the article "Exceeding authority, resulting in grave consequences."
According to Radio Azattyk, in May, Dosymzhan Salimzhan was hospitalised with complaints of kidney problems. He died ten days later. A forensic medical examination showed that the soldier had suffered a "ruptured aortic aneurysm."
The indictment states that Salimzhan was repeatedly beaten by officer Shakirov. The blows were directed to the kidney area, back, and head.
"Between 24 January and 30 April 2024, Shakirov systematically abused his authority, grossly violated the rights and legitimate interests of Dosymzhan Salimzhan, and used force against him, trampling his honour and dignity", the indictment states.
The facts of the beatings were confirmed by military personnel who testified in court. According to them, they saw Shakirov hitting the conscript with his hands and feet. For his part, the former officer stated that he was not involved in Salimzhan's death.
In the end, the court found Zhanbot Shakirov guilty and sentenced him to 7 years' imprisonment and stripped him of his lieutenant rank.
It is also reported that during the investigation into the death of Dosymzhan Salimzhan, law enforcement officers opened two additional criminal cases. One of these is on charges of fraud. It emerged that one of the servicemen is accused of having taken out a loan in Dosymzhan's name amounting to 180 thousand tenge. The deceased's mother stated that the accused has already given a confession.
The second case was opened on charges of improper performance of duties by a medical worker.
It will be recalled that against the backdrop of increasingly frequent tragic incidents in the army, Kazakh citizens created a petition calling for the abolition of compulsory military service. The authors believe that abolishing conscription in Kazakhstan has become relevant due to the deaths of servicemen in peacetime. Just in September, we reported on five such incidents.
On 7 September, a conscript soldier in a military unit in Aktau died from a gunshot wound to the head. On 13 September, at the Army Institute of the Ground Forces in Almaty, a sergeant committed suicide. On 16 September, in Arys, a contract serviceman from one of the military units sustained a head wound from a traumatic weapon. On 19 September, an officer from one of the military units of the Ayagoz garrison committed suicide by hanging. On 30 September, a contract serviceman from one of the military units of the Aktau garrison took his own life in the apartment where he was living.
Meanwhile, the editorial board of FBK attempted to ascertain how many people have died in recent years while "paying their debt to the Motherland" today. We sent an official request to the Ministry of Defence asking them to provide data on the number of deaths in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The department's response can be viewed via this link.