Altynbek Sarsenbayuly

Altynbek Sarsenbayuly (Kazakh: Алтынбек Сәрсенбайұлы, Altynbek Särsenbaiūly; 12 September 1962 – 11 February 2006) was a Kazakh politician who served in the Government of Kazakhstan before becoming a political opposition leader. At the time of his death, he served as co-chairman of the opposition Naghyz Ak Zhol (True Bright Path) party.

Altynbek Sarsenbayuly
Алтынбек Сәрсенбайұлы
Sarsenbayuly in 2005
Secretary of the Security Council
In office
5 May 2001 – 11 December 2001
ChairmanNursultan Nazarbayev
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byMarat Tazhin
Succeeded byMarat Tazhin
Minister of Information
In office
12 July 2004 – 29 September 2004
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Prime MinisterDaniyal Akhmetov
Preceded bySauytbek Adrahmanov
Succeeded byEsetjan Kosubaev (Culture, Information and Sports)
Minister of Culture, Information and Public Accord
In office
13 October 1997 – 5 May 2001
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Prime MinisterNurlan Balgimbayev
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMukhtar Kul-Mukhammed
Minister of Press and Media
In office
20 January 1993 – 14 October 1995
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Prime MinisterSergey Tereshchenko
Akezhan Kazhegeldin
Preceded byQuanysh Sultanov
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia
In office
25 January 2002 – 3 November 2003
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded byTaiyr Mansurov
Succeeded byKrymbek Kusherbayev
Personal details
Born
Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly Sarsenbaev

(1962-09-12)12 September 1962
Qainar, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Died11 February 2006(2006-02-11) (aged 43)
Talgar District, Kazakhstan
NationalityKazakh
Political partyNaghyz Ak Zhol (2005–2006)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Party (1995–1999)
Otan (1999–2003)
Ak Zhol (2003–2005)
Children2
Alma materAl-Farabi Kazakh National University
Moscow State University

In 2003, after a long career in senior Kazakh government positions, such as Information Minister and Ambassador to Russia, Sarsenbayuly joined the opposition ranks in protest against what he regarded as the administration's authoritarian policies.

Soon after his decision to contest in the 2005 Kazakh presidential election, Sarsenbayuly faced government intimidation tactics, including a physical assault by unidentified individuals during a presidential campaign meeting with voters and the alleged beating of his two nephews in November 2005.

Biography

Early life and education

Sarsenbayuly was born in the village of Qainar in family of 12 children.[1] In 1982, he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and then in 1985 from the Moscow State University.[2]

Career

From 1985, he was an editor and senior editor of KazTAG. In 1987, Sarsenbayuly became an editor and executive secretary of the Arai - Zarya magazine. From 1989 to 1992, he was an editor of the Orken - Horizon newspaper.[3]

In March 1992, Sarsenbayuly was appointed as the head of the Department of Culture and Interethnic Relations of the President. From August 1992, he served as the head of the Department of Internal Policy of the President.

On 20 January 1993, Sarsenbayuly was appointed as Minister of Press and Media.[4] While serving the post, he founded the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan on 1 July 1995 and was its co-chairman until it was merged with Otan on 1 March 1999.[5][6] On 14 October 1995, the Ministry was reorganized into National Agency for Press and Mass Media of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 14 October 1995 where Sarsenbayuly served its chairman.[7]

On 13 October 1997, Sarsenbayuly became the Minister of Information and Public Accord.[8] On 22 January 1999, after the Ministry was merged, he was appointed as the Minister of Culture, Information and Public Accord until becoming the secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan on 5 May 2001.[9][10] On 25 January 2002, Sarsenbayuly was appointed as an Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia until being relieved from his post on 3 November 2003.[11][12]

In December 2003, Sarsenbayuly became the co-chair of the Ak Zhol Democratic Party.[3] From 12 July to 29 September 2004, he was the Minister of Information before resigning from the post after accusing of the government rigging the 2004 legislative elections.[13][14] After Ak Zhol was split on 19 April 2005, Sarsenbayuly was the organizer and co-chairman of the unregistered Naghyz Ak Zhol party.[15]

Murder and investigation

On 13 February 2006 the bodies of Sarsenbayuly, his bodyguard and his driver were found dead on a road near the city of Almaty, reportedly lying face-down, hands tied on their back, and shot in the head at point blank range.

On 22 February 2006 five officers of Kazakhstan's KNB security service, and specifically the elite Arystan combat division, were arrested for involvement in Sarsenbayuly's murder. According to Interior Minister Bauyrzhan Mukhamedzhanov the five men were paid $25,000 for committing the murder. Nartay Dutbayev, the chief national security officer in the government, resigned on 23 February, the day after his subordinates were arrested.[16]

Police arrested Rustam Ibragimov, a former law enforcement officer, as a suspect for organizing the operation. Four more men were later arrested in connection with the assassination.

On 31 August 2006, all ten of the accused assassins were convicted of the murder of Sarsenbaev. Rustam Ibragimov was sentenced to death, while his nine accomplices received prison terms ranging from 3–20 years.[17] Ibragimov's death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 2014.[18]

The completion of the investigation in December 2013 was marked by a press conference with the Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan and the ranking American diplomat in Kazakhstan, Ambassador John Ordway.[19]

Ordway praised the "exceptional cooperation" between Kazakh law enforcement and the American Federal Bureau of Investigation, and that the FBI's results were consistent with the findings of the Kazakhstani Procurator General.[19] Ordway emphasized that the FBI's investigation was independent from the Procurator General's office, and the FBI had full and immediate access all materials and information.[19]

References
  1. Akhmatova, Zarina (2013-03-14). "Алтынбек Сарсенбаев: политик вне времени | | VOXPOPULI" (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  2. Dubnov, Arkady (2006-02-14). "Российские СМИ об убийстве Алтынбека Сарсенбаева". Фергана.Ру (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  3. "За последние три месяца в Казахстане убит второй оппонент президента Назарбаева". Фергана.Ру. 2006-02-13. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  4. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 1992–1993 годы (PDF). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2011. p. 161. ISBN 978-601-7259-61-7.
  5. "Партии и движения: что есть что, 22 мая 1998 года". www.neweurasia.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  6. "ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИЕ ПАРТИИ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАЗАХСТАН". CA&C Press (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  7. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 1994–1995 годы (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2011. pp. 265, 536. ISBN 978-601-7259-62-4.
  8. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 1996–1997 годы (PDF). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2010. pp. 275, 509. ISBN 978-601-7259-21-1.
  9. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 1998–1999 годы (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2010. pp. 177, 470. ISBN 978-601-7259-20-4.
  10. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 2001 год (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2009. pp. 54, 298. ISBN 978-601-7259-15-0.
  11. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 2002 год (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2010. pp. 20, 313. ISBN 978-601-7259-01-3.
  12. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 2003 год (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой Мир Астана. 2010. pp. 171, 332. ISBN 978-601-7259-01-3.
  13. Первый Президент Республики Казахстан Нурсултан Назарбаев. Хроника деятельности. 2004 год (PDF) (in Russian). Astana: Деловой мир Астана. 2009. pp. 95, 125. ISBN 978-601-80044-3-8.
  14. ЛАЗОРСКАЯ, Александра (2004-10-01). "Алтынбек САРСЕНБАЕВ: "Я не верю в сказки о "несведущем царе"…". zonakz.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  15. Jacobs, Bruce (2005-04-19). "Kazakhstan: Opposition Group Reappears Under New Name". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  16. Top Kazakh Aide Quits in Crisis After Killing of Opposition Figure New York Times
  17. "Kazakhstan: Almaty Shooter Sentenced to Death | Eurasianet".
  18. "The official statement of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan | The General prosecutor's office of the Republic of Kazakhstan". Archived from the original on 2019-01-14.
  19. "Remarks of Ambassador Ordway, chargé d'affaires a.i. at the press conference". US Embassy in Kazakhstan. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24.
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