Aitbek Amangeldi, the brother of the late Saltanat Nukenova, has commented on the early release of Bakhytzhan Baizhanov, who walked out of prison on July 22 under an amnesty. In a social media statement, he noted that the family and their lawyers had no legal means to challenge the decision, reports the website infohub.kz.
Amangeldi emphasized that the law does not provide for victim participation in amnesty proceedings. Despite the release, Baizhanov's guilt remains a legal fact. "'Amnesty' does not equal 'innocent.' Amnesty does not overturn the verdict, does not declare a person innocent, and does not nullify the guilt established by the court. Baizhanov will remain a criminal with probation supervision for six years," wrote Aitbek Amangeldi.
He added that personally it is hard for him to accept what happened, but from a legal standpoint, "the matter is closed."
Baizhanov was released on July 22 based on a court ruling applying the amnesty law. The court granted the prison administration's request, reduced the unserved portion of his sentence, and ordered his immediate release. After being freed, Baizhanov is subject to administrative supervision for six years.
Baizhanov is a relative of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, the former Minister of National Economy who was convicted. In May 2024, Baizhanov was sentenced to four years in prison for covering up a particularly serious crime in the case of Saltanat Nukenova's murder.