Kazakhstan's Domestic Violence Law Fails to Stop Two Women's Deaths
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Two women died in suspected domestic violence incidents in Kazakhstan despite the 2024 'Saltanat's Law' aimed at curbing abuse. Madina Rashidkyzy, 19, was found hanged in Merke district on August 23, 2026, after telling a friend she was fleeing her husband. Aizat Dzhumanova, 32, was found dead in a steppe in Zhetysu region in June 2025, with her two-year-old daughter found alive nearby.
Key Facts
- Madina Rashidkyzy, 19, was found hanged in a farm building in Merke district, Zhambyl region, on August 23, 2026.
- Aizat Dzhumanova, 32, was found dead in a steppe near Balasaz village, Aksu district, Zhetysu region, in June 2025.
- Kazakhstan's 'Saltanat's Law' came into force on June 16, 2024, criminalizing domestic violence.
- Madina Rashidkyzy's mother said her daughter's face was covered in bruises and alleged relatives tried to bury her without an autopsy.
- Police in Zhambyl region opened a pre-trial investigation into incitement to suicide in Madina's case.
Madina's Final Day
Madina Rashidkyzy, a 19-year-old Uzbek citizen living in Kazakhstan for about two years, spent her last day packing a bag with diapers and a baby bottle while her eight-month-old son crawled nearby. In a voice message to a friend, she said she was divorcing her husband and needed to borrow 15,000 tenge (about $30) to rent housing for herself and her child. She told the friend she had been in Almaty for four days and needed to return to Merke to collect her belongings, a trip she estimated would take three to four days. The next morning, her body was found hanging from a rope in a farm building in Merke district. Madina had complained to the friend about beatings, saying her husband attacked her after she bit into a 'Barney' biscuit he had bought for their son.
Aizat Dzhumanova's Death
In June 2025, 32-year-old Aizat Dzhumanova was found dead in a steppe near Balasaz village in Aksu district, Zhetysu region. Her two-year-old daughter was found alive next to her body. Dzhumanova had been married for three years and lived in what appeared to be an ordinary rural family. The circumstances of her death remain under investigation, but the case has drawn parallels to Madina's.
Law's Limited Impact
Kazakhstan's 'Saltanat's Law', named after Saltanat Nukenova who was killed by her husband in 2023, came into force on June 16, 2024. The law criminalized domestic violence and introduced tougher penalties, but activists say enforcement remains weak. In Madina's case, questions have been raised about why the local police officer did not intervene earlier despite reported family conflicts. Madina's mother alleged that relatives of the husband tried to bury her daughter the same day without a forensic examination, but she insisted on an autopsy.
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Kazakhstan's Domestic Violence Law Fails to Stop Two Women's Deaths
