Kazakh court sentences Almaty gunman to death
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 2 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh court sentences Almaty gunman to death, 2 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a1c911.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 02, 2016
A Kazakh court has sentenced a man to death on terrorism charges.
The court in Kazakhstan's largest city of Almaty found Ruslan Kulekbaev, 26, guilty of murder, attempted murder, and terrorism on November 2.
Five other defendants were sentenced to prison terms of between three and 10 1/2 years.
Kulekbaev was arrested in July after he opened fire at the offices of the Almaty police department and National Security Committee, killing six people, including a retired police officer, a border-guard officer, and four police officers.
Three more police officers wounded in the attacks later died in the hospital.
Authorities have said Kulekbaev had been exposed to radical Islam during previous stints in prison for armed robbery and other crimes.
President Nursultan Nazarbaev introduced a moratorium on capital punishment in 2003 and the death penalty was officially abolished in 2007, but the country's constitution makes an exception in cases of terrorist acts.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
