The Almaty Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Aitchan Aubakirov to seven years in prison in the case of the death of archaeologist Erlan Zhagiparov and Auez Kapsalanov during Qantar, Radio Azattyk reports .

"On February 7, the Almaty Garrison Military Court announced the verdict for the defendant in the case of the death of local residents Erlan Zhagiparov and Auez Kapsalanov, killed during the January events in Almaty in early 2022. The defendant, Aitchan Aubakirov, was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. The preventive measure was changed to detention. The judge ordered the arrest in the courtroom," the report says.

The judge also ruled to strip Aubakirov of his military rank – he was a lieutenant colonel of the National Guard. And the court also partially satisfied the civil claim for moral damages: the injured party claimed 50 million, but the court granted 20 million tenge.

The trial began in December 2024, almost three years after the deaths of Zhagiparov and Kapsalanov. According to the case materials, they were detained on January 6, 2022, on Republic Square in Almaty, then beaten, and then their bodies were found with bullet marks. Initially, the case was investigated under the article "Murder", but later reclassified as "Abuse of power".

Since January 16, the hearings have been held behind closed doors. The court made this decision at the request of a polygraph expert called as a witness. The victims' lawyer stated that there were no compelling reasons for this.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel