Kazakh authorities are investigating the death of Madina Rashid Qizi, an Uzbek national, in Zhambyl province of Kazakhstan. Her body was discovered in Merken district.
According to police, a pretrial investigation has been opened under the criminal article Incitement to suicide. Authorities say all details of the case are currently being examined and that specifics of the investigation are not being disclosed.
A friend of the deceased said that shortly before her death, Madina had confided in her about conflicts at home and said she intended to leave her husband. She said Madina had repeatedly complained about fights with her husband and, according to the friend, had suffered physical abuse. Madina described their final argument in a text exchange with her friend: the dispute reportedly began when her husband brought home a Barni biscuit for their eight-month-old child, but Madina ate it herself — after which her husband beat her.
The following day, Madina sent her friend a photo of her packed belongings, saying she planned to leave him. She also asked to borrow 15,000 tenge (about $32), but her friend was unable to get the money to her in time.
Contact with Madina was lost soon after. Her mother-in-law later called the friend to tell her that Madina had died.
Madina was an Uzbek citizen; her husband holds Kazakh citizenship. The couple had lived together for nearly two years and were raising their eight-month-old child. Her friend said Madina may have been pregnant at the time of her death.
In posts on social media, the friend voiced doubts about the official account of Madina's death and called for a thorough investigation, claiming the woman's body showed signs of injury. That claim has not been officially confirmed.
Domestic violence has become a widely debated issue in Kazakhstan in recent years, particularly following the passage of a law strengthening protections for women and children and toughening penalties for domestic abusers. Public attention intensified further after former minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev was convicted of killing Saltanat Nukenova, his partner in an unregistered religious marriage — a case that provoked nationwide outrage. Bishimbayev was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder in May 2024.
Stay up to date with all the latest news:
