How Stalker Drove Young Woman into Depression and Self-isolation

In 2021, Nazira became a victim of a man who ignored her signals. The young woman spent almost a year in isolation and depression, but her stalker has not let up. Meanwhile, despite the evidence, the man is likely to go unpunished, Orda.kz reports.

Recently, former senator and TV presenter Dana Nurzhigit spoke about her ex-husband. He invaded the woman's personal life, blackmailed her with videos, and demanded half of her property. The TV presenter reached out to the police. After a lengthy investigation and trial, Dana emerged as the victor. Stricter liability for stalking and cyberstalking may have simplified everything, however.

Stalking is not considered a crime in Kazakhstan - there is practically no liability. A person can be prosecuted only under Article 73 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, "Illegal Actions in Family and Domestic Relations." The accountability extends to an ex-spouse or current one with whom the other spouse no longer communicates. If the stalker is a stranger, they could face the article on petty hooliganism. However, Zhanna Urazbakhova, a lawyer of the Almaty City Bar Association, notes:

In my practice, I have never heard of anyone in Kazakhstan being held accountable for abusive harassment, namely intrusive admirers, even under the Administrative Code. Unfortunately, until stalking and intrusive advances develop into serious violations such as threats, physical assuault, attempted physical violence, law enforcement agencies cannot punish a person. 

Nazira was no exception.

A Complete Stranger

In the summer of 2021, a young man came to work in a confectionery shop but did not pass the probationary period. This did not stop him from taking a liking to one employee, though. A month after his dismissal, he was waiting for Nazira.

I went out, thinking he had come for work, but he declared his feelings for me. I said that I was not interested, but he did not register this, and tried to get in my way. Then I threatened to call the police and ran inside,Nazira says. 

Things only got worse. The young man followed Nazira after work. He initially lingered around nearby but gradually started ratcheting up his advances: he followed her to the bus stop, got on one bus, and if Nazira tried to escape in a taxi, he was already waiting for her. 

He tried to harass me more than once, tried to enter my apartment. Periodically, he would get into my office at work and hang roses on the doors with tape. Every morning, my co-workers and I would take them down, Nazira recalls.

My Life Got Worse

There was an instance when the stalker kept watch at Nazira's work all day, so she asked her brother to pick her up. 

He was banging on the door from 12 noon, and it continued until the evening. I asked my brother to come get me. I went outside, and he was fighting with him,Nazira says.

That evening, the man continued to follow Nazira. The young woman asked a patrolling officer for help. On the 20th of 2023, she wrote the first statement.

We were sitting in the same car, driving to the police station, and the police officers started praising him: 'Well done, you don't give up.' At that point, he had been stalking me for two years. We arrived at the Auezov District Police Department. They took a statement from me, and had an explanatory conversation with him, but the more often I went to the police, the worse my life became.

Nazira says a month after the statement, the man began writing that he would “stone her to death and rape her at the first opportunity.” As Nazira claims, he got her number through a fellow employee, who had also attempted to assault her:

One day, he came in a little drunk, and I let him leave, and told him not to work in such a state. It's dangerous, as we have cooking machines that weigh 800 kg. He agreed and was about to leave but suddenly threw down his things and said: 'I'm going to try you now.' He attacked me, grabbed my hands, and I started screaming, fought and broke free, ran to the door, fell and started crawling, Nazira says.

Nazira managed to escape, but there was no evidence of what happened. There were cameras, but they did not record anything. Nazira decided not to tell anyone. The security guard no longer came to work, and the stalker became increasingly intrusive. He began sending messages from unknown numbers. 

Isolation 

Despite an offer of promotion at work, Nazira quit and, in the summer of 2023, rarely left her apartment, spending about 10 months inside. 

I hoped that this break would help me recover, but unfortunately it didn't. I started stress eating and soon gained weight. I was destroyed mentally and physically. I had my phone on flight mode, I covered the windows with paper and a couple of times I even thought about taking sleeping pills - I thought I could escape this nightmare. I stayed home and took out loans, I couldn't go out and see people, she recalls.

In May 2024, Nazira turned on her phone. Almost a year passed, but the threats continued. Messages started coming through her banking app.

First he said he loved me, then he insulted me, then he said he would kill himself and me. The number of messages with the minimal transfer ammount has already exceeded 700. I send all this money to charities.

Nazira continues to receive such messages to this day. She says the district police officer filed the statement and found the stalker the next day. 

He said that he loved me, refused to fill out an explanatory statement, said that even if he went to jail, he would come out and find me again, brought the Quran with him. He made me repent over the Quran, supposedly I have feelings for him, but I do not admit it. The investigator held an explanatory conversation and even invited his parents. But nothing helped,
Nazira says.

Powerless

Nazira continued to go to the police. She filed a complaint under Articles 115 "Threat" and 131 "Insult."

There is evidence — bank transfers with threats. But, as she was told, they can't do anything. They can't even issue a restraining order or a fine. 

I don't know what to do. Three written statements, and all three have been sent to the archive, Nazira added.

The police stated that “the charges are civil-legal;" even if Nazira went to court and won, there would be no criminal liability.

Original Author: Yegor Grozny

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. For accuracy, please refer to the original piece in Russian published on 16/10/24.