Anastasiya Georgievna Novikova (Анастасия Георгиевна Новикова, November 22, 1980 - June 19, 2004) was a news announcer for NTK television in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Rakhat Aliyev Rakhat Mukhtaruly Aliyev ( kk, Рахат Мұхтарұлы Әлиев, ''Rahat Mūhtarūly Äliev''; 10 December 1962 – 24 February 2015) was a senior official of the government of Kazakhstan who died in an Austrian prison awaiting trial on c ...

, a former senior government official who was related by marriage to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was accused of involvement in her mysterious death in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. Born in

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

of Russian parents, Novikova moved to Kazakhstan where she met one of NTK's owners, Rakhat Aliyev. When Aliyev was named ambassador to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 2002, Novikova followed him to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and allegedly became romantically involved. Eyewitnesses who were close associates of Aliyev testified that Novikova became pregnant with Aliyev's daughter, was coerced to marry Daniyar Esten, a cousin of Aliyev who worked at the Kazakh Embassy in Vienna, and then sent to give birth to the baby in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Novikova died violently under mysterious circumstances on June 19, 2004, after a fall from the Beirut apartment building where she lived. Her body was flown from Lebanon to a remote area in Kazakhstan and "secretly buried in a pre-prepared place" according to a Kazakhstan Interior Ministry spokesman. Esten died in a traffic accident in Austria in 2005. After Novikova's body was discovered and identified in July 2007, police raised a possible link between the dead woman and Aliyev because her remains had been taken from Lebanon to the secret burial site by people connected to the

Nurbank murder case The Nurbank bank, founded in Atyrau regional governor's office was taken over by Rakhat Aliyev in January 2007. Shortly after, two Nurbank managers, Zholdas Timraliyev and Aybar Khasenov, were kidnapped, tortured and eventually killed by Aliyev. ...

in which Aliyev was implicated. Aliyev was convicted in Kazakhstan of crimes in the Nurbank case, and in June 2014 turned himself in to the Austrian authorities on an international arrest warrant. Aliyev always maintained his innocence. Nobody has been charged in association with Novikova's disappearance and death, and the whereabouts of her child remain publicly unknown. The widows of the murdered Nurbank executives started an organization called Tagdyr that advocates on behalf of the alleged victims of Aliyev and his associates.

Social Movement

On the 10 year anniversary of Novikova's death an international movement called JusticeForNovikova.com began with the intention to bring her alleged murderer, Rakhat Aliyev to justice. On June 19, 2014 protest were held at

Lowndes Square Lowndes Square is a residential garden square at the north-west end of Belgravia, London, SW1. It is formed of archetypal grand terraces of light stucco houses, cream or white. The length of the central rectangular garden is parallel with Sloane ...

. and according to

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

, on July 21 protests also occurred in front of the Vienna Criminal Court, where Aliyev had a scheduled court hearing. From jail, Aliyev denounced the Justice for Novikova protesters as agents of the Kazakhstan secret services, an accusation consistent with his denunciations of high-profile European political figures. Aliyev reportedly branded his critics in the West as paid agents of Kazakhstani intelligence, and has surfaced forged documents in an effort to defame his detractors."The KGB's Successor Is Using Forged Documents to Deceive the West"
Forbes, September 3, 2014.

Social Movement

References

Further reading