On February 2, 2025, a mother of four minor children recorded a video message addressed to the head of state.
"Until today, I have remained silent about the systematic beatings, humiliations, and persecutions by my ex-husband, Aybar Yerekeshov, because I did not want to bring family conflicts and violence into the public eye, worrying about my children's future and fearing for my life and the lives of my loved ones, as he has always threatened me. We have been divorced since September 2023. I never obstructed his career, nor did I ever think of exposing his brutal and cold-blooded attitude towards everything; I did not demand any alimony or assistance in raising our children, as he had never provided any moral or material support throughout our marriage," – stated Nurzhamal Tajghalieva, addressing Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
However, according to the mother of many children, Aybar Yerekeshov is currently attempting to legally take all four children, leveraging his position as a deputy.
"Therefore, I can no longer remain silent! This is my cry for help as a mother of multiple children, one of whom has a disability!... Over the 12 years of our marriage, he systematically tormented me, humiliated me, beat me, caused me injuries, spat in my face, made me kneel, and in 2015, 2018, and 2023, while I was breastfeeding our infants, he severely beat me, inflicting moderate bodily harm." Nurzhamal Tajghalieva
She emphasized that she filed police reports twice:
- in 2018, when he injured my head while I was breastfeeding our baby;
- in 2023, when he sat on me with his weight of 120 kg, damaging my spine, which left me unable to walk properly and reliant on a cane.
"Throughout our married life, there were many more instances of violence, but he knew where to hit so that there would be no bruises," – concluded Nurzhamal Tajghalieva.
In turn, the regional police department stated that explanatory work is currently being conducted regarding this matter.
"The photographs published in the recording were taken in 2018 and 2023. Protective orders were issued against the citizen born in 1987 based on her complaints in 2018 and 2023, which were subsequently revoked at the request of the complainant herself. However, in 2024, a new protective order was issued based on complaints from both the citizen and her ex-husband. According to the available reports, the parties have repeatedly disturbed each other with phone calls. We inform you that the police have taken all necessary measures in accordance with the law." Press service of the Atyrau region police department
In Kazakhstan, a law addressing domestic violence came into effect on June 16, 2024, which toughens the penalties for violence against women and children, particularly within families, and aims to protect them from abusers.