A man convicted of organizing the murder of Kazakh opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly (aka Sarsenbaev) and two associates in 2006 now says the hits were ordered by Rakhat Aliev, the former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev.
In testimony at the retrial of Erzhan Otembaev, who was convicted of ordering the murders, Rustam Ibragimov, who is serving life in prison, said he had decided to "tell the truth now" because he feels "ashamed" that the wrong man was convicted.
Otembaev, the former chief of Kazakhstan's parliamentary apparatus, pleaded guilty in 2006 to ordering the murders and was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Otembaev's retrial started earlier this month after Kazakh authorities announced in December that newly obtained evidence pointed to Aliev.
Aliev has been living in self-imposed exile in Europe since 2007.
In testimony at the retrial of Erzhan Otembaev, who was convicted of ordering the murders, Rustam Ibragimov, who is serving life in prison, said he had decided to "tell the truth now" because he feels "ashamed" that the wrong man was convicted.
Otembaev, the former chief of Kazakhstan's parliamentary apparatus, pleaded guilty in 2006 to ordering the murders and was sentenced to 20 years in jail.
Otembaev's retrial started earlier this month after Kazakh authorities announced in December that newly obtained evidence pointed to Aliev.
Aliev has been living in self-imposed exile in Europe since 2007.
