Jury in Jambyl Region May Have Unjustly Sentenced a Man to 16 Years

A jury in the Shu district of Jambyl region has delivered a controversial verdict in a high-profile shootout case, sentencing the defendant to 16 years in prison. However, one juror now claims she was pressured by the court into convicting him, Orda.kz reports.

The Shu district shootout case resulted in one fatality and three injuries.

The jury delivered its verdict in January 2025, finding Marat Shynzhyrbay guilty, which led to his lengthy prison sentence.  Olesya Kovaleva later revealed that the court pressured a decision.

When we were asked whether Marat was guilty, three of us wrote that he was innocent. But the judge started convincing us otherwise, imposing his opinion on us. It was difficult. We ended up rewriting our decision. I couldn’t hold back my tears because I knew it was unfair. I couldn’t sleep for days. Then I realized I had to do something. I read the Criminal Code and understood that the judge had acted improperly. We need to fight for the truth. But people are scared. Why even have a jury if the decision is already made? How can ordinary people live with this? Kovaleva said.

She plans to meet with Jambyl Region’s Human Rights Commissioner, Yerkin Kuanyshev, to discuss the matter.

At a press conference held by the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights in February, Kovaleva reiterated that the judge had pressured the jury.

Meanwhile, Shynzhyrbay’s defense team is preparing to appeal the verdict.

The defendant’s mother, Sayarakhan Dzhasabayeva, also contests the ruling. In an interview with an Orda.kz correspondent, she acknowledged her son’s partial involvement but maintained that he did not fire the fatal shot. The examination revealed that Shynzhyrbay's weapon did not cause the gunshot wound sustained by the deceased.

Concerns over jury verdicts in Kazakhstan have been growing. In October 2024, a jury’s decision in a high-profile extortion case was overturned in Petropavlovsk. More recently, in February 2025, a jury acquitted 12 former employees of the Atbasar colony accused of torturing detainees, prompting an appeal from the prosecutor’s office.

Original Author: Islambek Dastan