New Delhi:
Thousands of people in Kazakhstan are currently watching the trial of former minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who is accused of beating his wife Saltanat Nukenova to death. The Supreme Court proceedings are being streamed live on social media like a dark reality show.
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Saltanat Nukenova, 31, was found dead last November in a restaurant owned by a relative of her husband, where the couple had spent almost an entire day and the night before.
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Shocking footage played in court showed Kuandyk Bishimbayev, a former economy minister, repeatedly kicking and punching a slim young woman wearing only a coat and boots and dragging her around by her hair.
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Video evidence presented in court captured the harrowing moments of abuse, which showed Bishimbayev attacking Nukenova outside the restaurant, pulling her hair, kicking her as she lay on the ground and delivering a powerful punch to her jaw.
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The eight-hour attack video also showed Bishimbayev breaking down the door as Saltanat tried to hide in a bathroom.
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According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, restaurant staff were instructed not to call emergency services and to delete camera footage.
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As she lay on the ground covered in blood, Bishimbayev called a fortune teller, who assured him that his wife would be fine.
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The ambulance arrived 12 hours later and medical staff pronounced her dead at the scene.
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A coroner's report found that Nukenova had succumbed to brain trauma, with signs of severe physical abuse, including a broken nasal bone and numerous bruises on her body.
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Bishimbayev, 43, is charged with torture and murder with extreme violence and faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years. He has pleaded not guilty and argued in court that Nukenova died from isolated injuries.
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His lawyers initially disputed medical evidence indicating Nukenova's cause of death and attempted to portray her as a violent and jealous person.
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