Qaraganda Teacher Accused of Kidnapping 19-Year-Old: Family Demands Justice

In the Qaraganda region, a rural school teacher is accused of kidnapping a 19-year-old girl last December. The victim, Laura (name changed), immediately contacted police, but nearly ten months later, the case has yet to reach court, Orda.kz reports.

Laura says she is still struggling with the trauma. Last winter, she met a young man who worked as a teacher in a rural school. They met several times, but she refused further contact.

The young woman told Orda.kz that he and two accomplices later waited for her outside her workplace. Surveillance cameras captured the moment he pushed her into a car.

He took my phone. He asked me along the way who I had managed to tell. He blocked the doors. He started to scare me, saying that everyone would find out anyway. That they would tell everyone that I was at their house. He said: 'You will agree in any case, where will you go?' When we arrived, we were met by his relatives with a white scarf. They took me by the arms, by the legs, and wanted to carry me home. At that moment, my relatives arrived. There was a fight. My relatives took me away,
 recalls Laura.

We saw it with our own eyes. All the relatives gathered – his mom, dad, about 50 people. There were a lot of cars. They were dragging our girl, and she was holding on to the car with her hand. She was screaming and crying so much, we immediately ran up. They said that she wanted it herself. But if she had agreed, she wouldn’t have screamed and wouldn’t have been lying on the ground. It’s the 21st century now! Why are they kidnapping a girl? He didn’t even have the courage to pursue her. He decided to just kidnap her, like a slave!
 Laura's sister said.

Despite Laura filing a police report on December 13, her family says it was not officially registered until late February.

Since then, they have faced repeated delays.

Relatives allege police tried to pressure them into settling.

We want him to answer according to the law and go to prison. The deputy for investigation of the South-Eastern police department of the city of Qaraganda offered through a lawyer: how much do we want, how much is needed for the case to be closed? We did not agree. We do not need money. We demand justice. The police are not on our side and the prosecutor's office is not on our side either. And this guy sends greetings through someone else that he has a relative in the prosecutor's office, so that we calm down,
 the victim's mother says.

I am alone in the city, studying at the university. My mother and sister are in another area, so I am afraid for myself. Because he is still free. He can harm me at any moment. I do not know what to do,
she shares. 

Her family’s appeals to higher authorities, including the Presidential Administration, have gone unanswered.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has introduced tougher laws against bride kidnapping, removing the clause that previously allowed offenders to avoid punishment if they released the woman.

Now, such crimes can result in up to 10 years in prison.

Original Author: Inna Rutz