Altynbek Sarsenbayuly ( kk, Алтынбек Сәрсенбайұлы, ''Altynbek Särsenbaiūly''; 12 September 1962 – 11 February 2006) was a Kazakh politician who served in the
Government of Kazakhstan
The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Үкіметі, tr, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ükımetı'') oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Kassym- ...
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.
In 2003, after a long career in senior Kazakh government positions, such as Information Minister and Ambassador to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, 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
Presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 4 December 2005. Incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev, in power since 1989, sought and won a 3rd term against four other candidates. Opposition candidates were allowed some access to the mass ...
, 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. In 1982, he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of the
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University ( kz, Әл-Фараби атындағы Қазақ ұлттық университеті, Äl-Farabi atyndağy Qazaq Ūlttyq Universitetı), also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. ...
and then in 1985 from the
Moscow State University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
.
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.
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. 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. 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.
On 13 October 1997, Sarsenbayuly became the
Minister of Information and Public Accord. 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
The Security Council of Kazakhstan (, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Qauıpsızdık Keñesı'' ) is a constitutional advisory body of the Kazakh Government which aides and assists the President of Kazakhstan in implementation of military policy and ...
on 5 May 2001. On 25 January 2002, Sarsenbayuly was appointed as an
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia until being relieved from his post on 3 November 2003.
In December 2003, Sarsenbayuly became the co-chair of the
Ak Zhol Democratic Party
The Aq Jol Democratic Party ( kz, Ақ жол Демократиялық Партиясы, translit=Aq Jol Demokratialyq Partiasy, russian: Демократическая партия Казахстана «Ак жол», Demokraticheskaya partiya ...
.
From 12 July to 29 September 2004, he was the
Minister of Information
An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given to ...
before resigning from the post after accusing of the government rigging the
2004 legislative elections. After Ak Zhol was split on 19 April 2005, Sarsenbayuly was the organizer and co-chairman of the unregistered
Naghyz Ak Zhol party.
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
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
, 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.
[Top Kazakh Aide Quits in Crisis After Killing of Opposition Figure]
New York Times
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. Ibragimov's death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 2014.
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
Sergeant John Ordway (c. 1775 – c. 1817), the youngest of ten siblings, was an important part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition across the United States. John Ordway was one of the sergeants from the United States Army who stepped forward t ...
.
Ordway praised the "exceptional cooperation" between Kazakh law enforcement and the American
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
, and that the FBI's results were consistent with the findings of the Kazakhstani Procurator General.
[ 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.][
]
References
External links
BBC News obituary
BBC News: Kazakh officers linked to murder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarsenbayev, Altynbek
1962 births
2006 deaths
Kazakhstani murder victims
Deaths by firearm in Kazakhstan
People murdered in Kazakhstan
Government ministers of Kazakhstan
Naghyz Ak Zhol politicians
Ak Zhol Democratic Party politicians
2006 crimes in Kazakhstan
2000s murders in Kazakhstan
2006 murders in Asia