The Russian part of the Internet has not calmed down over the past few days: everyone is discussing the case of the former Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who killed his wife.
The former official was sentenced to 24 years in prison. He was found guilty of torturing and killing Saltanat Nukeeva with extreme cruelty.
All Telegram channels wrote about this, even those whose authors heard the word “Kazakhstan” almost for the first time. News, personal, entertainment publications, relationship blogs, social gossip – literally everything. Before that, writers and readers followed the trial with bated breath for several weeks. What can we hide: I personally watched two major news stories about Bishimbayev’s story and even hovered my mouse over the third, but with an incredible effort of will I stopped myself.
Let’s try to understand what this flurry of information is connected with.
Of course, popular bloggers and journalists covering this case, especially Ksenia Sobchak, added fuel to the fire on the Internet. But not everything they do is so widely discussed. So what triggered us?
In my opinion, there are several reasons for this. The first, of course, is Bishimabayev’s status. A former minister, a wealthy man, he was once said to be a favorite of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Definitely not the last person. And many thought he would emerge from the water unscathed, with at most a slightly tarnished reputation. That’s why I wanted to follow the process especially closely.
The second important point is that it turned out that domestic violence does not only apply to marginalized people.
So far, many are sure that women are beaten only by representatives of poorly educated segments of the population. It’s a classic: They got drunk, she was rude to him, called him a monster and lazy, and he slapped her in the face in response. First he called the police, the next morning he overslept and ran to take a statement…
The picture is terrible, but far from the majority. This belief seems to protect our consciousness; We reason like this: “This can’t happen to me, I’m not like that, my man isn’t like that, violence is somewhere outside my world.”
But in Bishimbaev’s case, this turned out to be no. Here he was, an educated, high-ranking man, he took good care of the girl and then started beating her and then completely killed her. What does it mean that social status does not guarantee security? It’s a break from the mold, it’s scary, and of course it attracts attention.
It is also important that Kazakhstan is close to us in many respects. We literally looked at this story as if in a mirror. Yes, this is a Muslim country, but when we examine the courtroom footage and the journalists’ investigations, we will notice that most of the characters speak Russian, dress like in Russia, and think very similarly. This again attracts us because it reminds us so much of our realities and scares us for the same reason.
Many people were probably wondering: Could something similar happen in Russia? Yes why not?
So what happens next? Was the trial this high profile? Could this be a reason to adopt a law on domestic violence, as in Kazakhstan? So do we need this law?
Interest in the Bishimbaev case has also increased due to comments that are sometimes worse than the plot itself. Thousands, even tens of thousands, of women began to tell their stories on all public pages and social networks, and it’s scary. Domestic violence is on a massive scale.
Here are a few comments made under Sobchak’s video: “My father beat my mother. “Once he hit her with a wet sheet and her mother asked him to wring it out after she washed it.” “My sister had been beaten by her husband for years. Even pregnant. It was silent. “Almost 20 years… It got to the point where a drunk knocked him to the ground and kicked him in the face.” “The neighbor beat the woman, the woman screamed so much it was scary. He was afraid to call for help. “Everything could be heard on the street in the courtyard of the apartment building.”
Scary? A lot.
But that’s not the only scary thing. What’s worse is the widespread misogyny we see in the comments. “What was he waiting for? Why didn’t he go? I pursued wealth and this is what I got!” It’s as if money and status justify the rapist: They say he makes a good life, so please pay, girls.
So the interest can probably be explained. There is no answer to the question of what to do with both domestic violence and such an ambiguous response to it.
Well, let’s look at the neighbors.
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta

Dolores Johnson is a voice of reason at “Social Bites”. As an opinion writer, she provides her readers with insightful commentary on the most pressing issues of the day. With her well-informed perspectives and clear writing style, Dolores helps readers navigate the complex world of news and politics, providing a balanced and thoughtful view on the most important topics of the moment.