Victim of Husband's Abuse Still Awaits Compensation, One Year Later

In Qyzylorda, a former police officer brutally assaulted his pregnant wife. The court sentenced him to just one and a half years in prison.

He was also ordered to pay his wife approximately nine million tenge in moral damages. However, that compensation has not yet been paid. An Orda.kz journalist spoke with the victim, Aruna Amanova.

Aruna Amanova married Major Zh. in 2019. According to Aruna, her husband became physically abusive within a month of their marriage. After each incident, he would cry, apologize, and ask for forgiveness.

Aruna said she forgave him repeatedly in hopes of saving their family.

On November 4, 2022, she returned home from work and went to bed. They had argued the day before — Aruna had long suspected her husband of being unfaithful.

At three o’clock in the morning, two of his friends came home and brought him in, holding him by the arms. That day, he had received the rank of major and was celebrating. He was drunk and didn’t understand what was happening. They laid him on the couch, and I took advantage of the moment to check his phone — I was looking for evidence of infidelity. I found the messages, woke him up and put the phone in his face. Now I really regret waking him up. He started swearing, his eyes were bloodshot. I got scared. He started beating me, Aruna recalls.

At one point, he went to the bedroom to change, and Aruna hid in the kitchen.

I was sitting in the dark. He found me and dragged me back into the hall. He hit me on the head and pulled my hair. The last thing I remember is him choking me. Then I woke up on the street, lying on the ground. He and his friend were standing over me. He asked, ‘Why did you jump?’ I didn’t understand what he was talking about. I asked him to help,the victim says. 

Aruna does not remember exactly how she fell. She later learned that she had allegedly told paramedics and police that she jumped from the window to escape.

She does not recall saying this.

I know for sure: I didn’t want to die. If I wanted to commit suicide or run away, I would have jumped forward, head down. But I woke up on the street, lying on my back. Maybe they scared me or forced me. I remember everything that happened after the fall only in fragments.

After telling her mother that she had not jumped, Aruna filed a complaint in court.

But the case was quickly closed.

In 2023, when the Bishimbayev case began, my mother filed a second complaint. After the story with Saltanat, the topic of domestic violence began to be taken more seriously. Only thanks to the resonance after the Bishimbayev case, he at least received a year and a half. There were surveillance cameras around our apartment. My husband’s father is retired military, and with his help, during the investigation and trial, it ‘suddenly’ turned out that not a single camera was working. Although the examination confirmed everything, he was still given the most lenient punishment, says Aruna. 

The verdict:

To find guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code and to sentence him to one and a half years of imprisonment. In accordance with Subparagraph 1) of Paragraph 5 of Article 46 of the Criminal Code, to assign serving the sentence in a minimum security penal institution. To collect property damage in the amount of 4,054,181 tenge in favor of Aruna Kanatkyzy Asylbek, state duty in the amount of 40,542 tenge, moral damages in the amount of 5,000,000 tenge and 1,531 tenge of state duty. 

According to Aruna, judicial enforcement officers have yet to enforce the court’s decision, and she has not received any compensation.

An Orda.kz journalist asked one for clarification.

In the proceedings there is an enforcement document on the recovery of moral damages from Zh. A. Asylbek in favor of Aruna Asylbek in the amount of 5,000,000 tenge. At the moment, the execution of the decision is impossible, as neither movable nor immovable property is registered in the name of the debtor, and there are no funds in his bank accounts. According to Article 111 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan ‘On Enforcement Proceedings and the Status of Judicial Enforecment Officers,’ alimony claims are satisfied first. 50% of his salary is withheld to pay alimony, private enforcement officer Rustem Balymbetov explained. 

According to paragraph 3 of Article 115 of the Labor Code, a debtor must retain at least 50% of their wages.

In previous incidents, neighbors had called the police when Aruna was abused. But her husband’s colleague — also a police officer — responded to the call and took no action.

During the trial, another police officer submitted a document, supposedly written by Aruna, stating:

Aruna insists she never signed such a document and never paid a fine.

During the investigation, neighbors, relatives, and friends confirmed that Aruna regularly had bruises, including under the eyes. Neighbors left complaints that the policeman was abusing his wife. There were cases when they themselves called the police. During the trial, we petitioned to initiate a case under Article 110 of the Criminal Code (‘Torture’). Although the fact of violence was proven, it was never properly assessed. The Qyzylorda Regional Prosecutor’s Office did not provide any legal assessment. In the future, we intend to file a complaint under Article 110 again,said Aruna’s lawyer, Rajan Bersynbaev. 

At the time of the attack, Aruna was nine weeks pregnant. That night, she lost both her unborn child and her ability to walk. She suffered a spinal fracture after hitting the pavement and is now confined to a wheelchair.

Doctors offer no guarantee that she will recover.

Despite her injuries, Aruna is working to adapt to her new life and be a devoted mother to her son.

Orda.kz will continue to follow developments in this case.

Original Author: Asem Zhuken