42-year-old Guzal Karatayeva had sulphuric acid thrown over her on her way to work in Shymkent. The woman suffered deep burns to her face and body and spent more than two months in hospital. Police detained a suspect, but the victim's defence team disagrees with the classification of the crime.
HOW THE ATTACK HAPPENED
As reported by Time.kz, the attack took place on 1 August. An unknown woman, who introduced herself as a client, asked Guzal to carry out a sugaring procedure at four o'clock in the morning, explaining the urgency by her imminent departure.
The woman agreed and set off for the salon. On the way, she was attacked by a person in a helmet, jacket and gloves. He grabbed Guzal and threw sulphuric acid over her.
"I screamed from the burning pain, and it just kept pouring and pouring, eating away at my skin. I thought I would die on the spot," the victim said.
An ambulance was called by a passing driver. The attacker fled, leaving a container of acid at the scene.
The suspect was detained the same day in Almaty. He turned out to be the woman's former husband.
WHAT PRECEDED THE ATTACK
According to Guzal Karatayeva, the relationship with the man began in 2019. The couple entered into a religious marriage, but did not register it officially.
The woman claims that her husband forbade her to work, controlled her phone and messages, and also treated her children from her first marriage cruelly. In October 2019, the couple had a daughter.
Two years later, their life together came to an end. According to Guzal, the man left her with a loan of 600,000 tenge, which he had promised to repay himself. Because of the accumulated arrears, the debt grew to 1 million tenge.
After the separation, the man paid maintenance of 21,500 tenge. During their last meeting, the woman claims, he staged a scene of jealousy and tried to strangle her.
A few days later, the attack occurred. According to the publication, the suspect had previously saved one of his phone numbers in Guzal's contacts under a client's name. It was from this number that the request for an early appointment for the procedure came.
WHAT INJURIES THE WOMAN SUSTAINED
After the attack, Guzal was hospitalised with deep chemical burns to her face, neck, back, chest, abdomen and hands.
For more than two months, doctors removed damaged tissue and treated the burns. On the most severely affected areas, the woman has already had skin grafts.
Her sight was saved, but the acid damaged her eyelids. Because of the wounds around her mouth, Guzal has difficulty eating. The after-effects of the burns have also affected her posture.
The victim needs further expensive skin graft operations. She is currently being cared for by her mother, Nigara Murzametova.
WHY THE LAWYER IS CALLING FOR THE CASE TO BE RECLASSIFIED
The investigation is treating the attack under Article 107 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Intentional infliction of moderate harm to health").
According to the medical discharge summary, the burns covered 20% of the body surface. However, the victim's lawyer, Gulaikhan Tursumanova, believes that the severity of the injuries has been assessed incorrectly.
The defence lawyer has filed a request for a repeat forensic medical examination. According to her, a more serious classification of the case could carry a sentence of 6 to 10 years' imprisonment for the suspect, whereas the current article provides for a punishment of up to three years.
The lawyer intends to seek the reclassification of the case, taking into account the nature of the burns, the consequences for her health and the need for further operations.
Final conclusions on the severity of the harm caused must be drawn from the results of the forensic medical assessment. No information has yet been reported on the results of the repeat examination.
