The prosecutor asked the court to sentence Sherkhan Aymakhan to life imprisonment in the case of the murder of 21-year-old Nurai Serikbai in Shymkent. The judicial pleadings in the case began after the main part of the proceedings had concluded.
WHAT THE PROSECUTOR REQUESTED
Judicial pleadings began in the Specialised Inter-District Court for Criminal Cases in Shymkent. The state prosecutor, Madiyar Abilkasimov, stated that he had found no circumstances that could mitigate the punishment and asked for Aymakhan to be given a life sentence.
The prosecutor also asked the court not to take into account the video recording in which Nurai Serikbai says she has no complaints against Aymakhan. According to the prosecution, the forensic examination established that the girl's speech in the video was learned by heart.
WHICH ARTICLES AYMAKHAN IS CHARGED UNDER
According to the prosecution's position, the guilt of Sherkhan Aymakhan has been fully proven under paragraph 5, part 2, Article 99 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Murder committed with particular cruelty"), part 1, Article 125 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Forced marriage") and part 2, Article 115 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Stalking").
The prosecutor asked for a sentence of life imprisonment to be served in a maximum-security penal facility. He also asked for the pre-trial detention measure to remain unchanged.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE RE-EXAMINATION
At the hearing on 11 August, Judge Samiddin Temiraliev announced that a repeat forensic examination of the defendant's psychological state would not be conducted. It had previously been requested by Aymakhan's lawyer, Serik Abdiev.
The defence maintains that Aymakhan was in a state of emotional disturbance at the time of the murder and was not aware of his actions. However, the psychological examination that was carried out refuted these arguments.
The court also ruled that the defendant's testimony from 13 January was invalid and excluded it from the case.
CONTEXT
The tragedy occurred on 11 January 2026 in Shymkent. Nurai Serikbai suffered fatal knife wounds on the street at the hands of a man who had been pursuing her. The suspect — a 28-year-old man — was detained two days later and placed in a pre-trial detention centre.
The situation provoked a public outcry. On 20 January 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered an assessment of the actions of the Shymkent police. Following this, personnel decisions were made.
Later, the case was reclassified under the article "Murder committed with particular cruelty". The sanction provides for 15 to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Previously, the defendant Sherkhan Aymakhan did not admit guilt, gave his own version of events and asked for forgiveness from the relatives of the deceased and the people of Kazakhstan for his mental state.
Earlier, the family of the deceased Nurai Serikbai filed a motion in court to recover compensation for material and moral damages from the defendant totalling more than 10 billion tenge. Material damages were assessed at 14 million tenge, and moral damages at 10 billion tenge.
