Photo: vlast.kz
The main trial in the murder case of 16-year-old Sherzat Bolat (also known as Polat) has begun in Taldykorgan, a city in southeastern Kazakhstan, according to Vlast.kz.
A total of nine individuals are on trial, including one minor. All face charges of hooliganism, while two—Abzal Shynasyl and Ravil Sakiyev—are additionally charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors allege that Shynasyl directly committed the murder. One defendant, Azamat Toktaubayev, is charged with both hooliganism and theft. The minor, Duman Yskakov, is accused of concealing a serious crime.
Perizat Nurymova, the sister of Bolat’s father, stated that the family objects to the defendants being tried separately. “This doesn’t sit well with us. They should be tried as a group. They came in one car and left in one car,” she said.
Most of the defendants were born between 1996 and 2000. The oldest is 32; the youngest, 17. Four of them have prior criminal records, including one individual sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this year. Two others previously received sentences of restricted freedom for causing serious and moderate bodily harm, and one was convicted of obstructing a prosecutor’s duties.
At the first hearing, presiding judge Erzhan Zhanuzakov asked all parties not to speak to the press and denied requests to move the trial to a different location.
Sherzat Bolat was killed during the night of October 4 last year, outside his family’s grocery store. Relatives say the altercation began when a customer refused to pay for a can of beer. Sherzat and his uncle intervened to support the boy’s father, Kharzhaubai Nurymov, who was working the counter that night. The customer returned with a group of acquaintances. They assaulted the teenager and his uncle before stabbing Sherzat to death.
On the night of October 12, the family’s home was set on fire. No one was inside at the time. To prevent the situation from escalating further, the Interior Ministry deployed National Guard troops to the city.
A total of 11 suspects were detained in connection with the teenager’s murder. Local residents have suggested that members of the Khutorskie organized crime group may have been involved—claims the Interior Ministry has denied.
Two months after Sherzat’s murder, the body of his uncle was discovered on the outskirts of Talgar. Authorities said he had taken his own life. At his funeral, Sherzat’s father, Kharzhaubai Nurymov, was detained and sentenced to 15 days in jail. Police said he had acted aggressively and made threats. According to local media, during the funeral he climbed onto a truck and demanded to speak to journalists.
