A trial has begun in the Almaty Region over the murder of 24-year-old Zhanasyl Sarsenbay, with three young men aged 19 and 20 appearing in court in Kaskelen. One is charged with murder, while the other two face charges of concealing the crime, according to infohub.kz.
The hearings are open to the public, but the defendants objected to having their faces shown. The tragedy occurred in May in the Talgar District. According to the victim's relatives, Zhanasyl had gone to a cemetery with his younger brother to visit their father's grave. As the brothers were returning home, a car belonging to fellow villagers blocked their way.
Zhanasyl honked, but the road was not cleared. He then drove around the car at high speed. Relatives believe this may have angered the young men, who then followed the brothers to their home.
One of the defendants gave his version of events after the traffic conflict in court: "The driver started honking at us. Yelkhan signaled for him to go around. Zhanasyl said something to Yelkhan, like he cursed at him, and they sped past us. We followed them. When we got to the house, Yelkhan got out alone. He stabbed Zhanasyl with a knife. Then he told me: 'Step on it.' I was in shock when I saw the knife."
The victim's younger brother gave a different account of the attack. According to him, three men got out of the car, and there was no conversation before the knife blows: "We saw three men getting out. I was standing on the passenger side. There was no conversation. Suddenly Yelkhan stabbed my brother with two knives: first with his right hand, then with his left," said Yerkebulan Sarsenbay.
Zhanasyl died in hospital. His mother stated in court that she does not intend to forgive the defendants and demanded the harshest punishment: "My son ran in saying: 'Mom, they stabbed my brother.' I ran outside. Zhanasyl was on his knees. I hugged him. We called an ambulance. Then we decided to take him to the hospital ourselves. And afterward the doctors told me: 'Your son has died.' I will not forgive. Such a thing cannot be forgiven. Let these three bear the punishment for their crime. Let them sit in prison for the rest of their lives," said Almagul Nurgizat.
The injured party also demanded that the defendants pay compensation of 100 million tenge. Charges were brought under the articles "Murder" and "Concealment of a crime." The trial is ongoing.