In the Akmola region, the body of 20-year-old conscripted serviceman Zhenis Akhmetzhan has been exhumed. Last October, he was found with a gunshot wound to the head at the military unit of the Priozersk garrison. Relatives disagree with the official version of suicide and have secured a re-examination.
According to the Kazinform news agency, the deceased soldier's mother, Guldana Akhmetzhanova, reported that the last video call from her son came just hours before the tragedy, while he was on guard duty. He had two weeks left to serve before the end of his conscription.
"He video-called that evening and said he would be home soon. But at night, I was given the tragic news", Akhmetzhanova said.
The woman also claims she noticed bruising and scratches on her son's body at the morgue. According to her, his new uniform also disappeared, and the CCTV camera at the scene was not working that evening.
Meanwhile, the deceased young man's great-uncle, a former investigator, found several inconsistencies in the case.
"He was transferred from one unit to another, and according to orders, if someone is transferred due to adverse circumstances, they should not be assigned guard duty in a place with weapons. He should have been in the company... But they put him on that duty. Also, bodily injuries sustained before death were found on him, the expert points this out. However, the soldiers who served with him haven't been questioned about where these bruises came from. So there must have been a conflict in the unit and he was beaten, since the bruise was sustained before death, right? Consider the gunshot. When a person shoots themselves, there should be blood from the cartridge, splatters everywhere, brain matter should come out, but the wall is clean. The shell casing should have ejected from the rifle in one direction, but it was lying on the opposite side. His boots and trousers are covered in blood, but he was found in a semi-reclining position – how could blood get on his boots? My assumption is that he was killed and then it was made to look like a suicide. But he could not have shot himself", said Daulet Kasenov.
It is reported that prior to this incident, the deceased conscript was transferred from a unit in Maikuduk to the Priozersk garrison following a conflict with an officer.
It is noted that representatives of the military police refused to comment on the situation, citing Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on non-disclosure of pre-trial investigation data.
As a reminder, last September, amid an increase in tragic incidents in the army, citizens of Kazakhstan created a petition calling for the abolition of compulsory military service. The authors believe that abolishing conscription in Kazakhstan is becoming urgent due to the numerous deaths of servicemen in peacetime.