A trial has begun in Karaganda for a former police major in the case of the death of a 23-year-old woman whose body was found in a district police officer's office. The court decided to hear the case in a closed session. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Participants in the hearing

The mother and aunt of the deceased attended the hearing. According to the television channel, their interests are represented by the regional prosecutor's office.

Request by the defense

Before the proceedings began, the defendant's lawyer, Aset Tubekov, asked for the trial to be closed, citing information about the private lives of his client and the deceased contained in the case materials.

"I request a closed court hearing, since the case materials contain intimate information regarding my client as well as the victim, and private correspondence," Tubekov said.

The judge granted the request and asked journalists to leave the courtroom. Relatives of the deceased, by contrast, asked that media representatives be allowed to attend the trial.

Circumstances of the tragedy

The tragedy occurred in September of last year. At around 22:00, the naked body of the 23-year-old woman was found in the district officer's office. In the neighboring office, a 36-year-old police major was found unconscious.

According to KTK, at the time there was information that the police officer and the woman had used drugs and may have been poisoned by narcotic substances. It was also reported that the deceased had repeatedly visited the police support point. According to the television channel, police leadership neither confirmed nor denied this information.

After the district officer regained consciousness, he was dismissed and placed in a detention facility.

Demands of the relatives

The deceased left behind a five-year-old son. Her relatives believe the former police officer used his official position and are demanding compensation.

"She could not go anywhere without her mother's permission. He summoned her and brought her to such a state. Apparently, he took advantage of her and committed such acts. Let him pay compensation. The child has been left an orphan, searches for his mother every day and cries," said a relative of the deceased.

Disciplinary responsibility

After the incident, several police officers of Karaganda and the regional department were brought to disciplinary responsibility. They received strict reprimands, and the head of the district police department was dismissed.

Criminal case

According to KTK, a criminal case was opened under Article 370 of the Criminal Code — "Inaction in service." The television channel reports that, given the grave consequences, the punishment could be up to seven years of imprisonment.

The mother of the deceased fears that the defendant will be given too lenient a punishment. Further proceedings will take place behind closed doors.