Accessibility links

Breaking News

Prosecutor Seeks 20-Year Prison Terms For Suspects In Kazakh Skater's Killing


Denis Ten
Denis Ten

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- The state prosecutor has asked a court in Kazakhstan to convict two men of premeditated murder in the killing of figure skater Denis Ten and sentence them to 20 years in prison.

At a hearing on January 16, the prosecutor also asked the court to convict the two men of theft and recommended a four-year sentence for a third defendant who is charged with theft and failure to report a crime.

Ten became the first Kazakh figure skater to win an Olympic medal when he earned a bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He also won medals at the world championships in 2013 and 2015.

Ten was fatally stabbed in central Almaty in July 2018, at age 25.

Investigators say suspects Arman Qudaibergenov and Nuraly Qiyasov killed him after he confronted them while they were trying to steal the side-view mirrors of his car.

Qudaibergenov and Qiyasov pleaded guilty of theft but not guilty to premeditated murder, contending that they had not planned to kill the skater.

The third defendant, Zhanar Tolybaeva, told the court that she did not see the stabbing and that she was only aware of the attempted theft of Ten's car mirrors.

Ten trained in Moscow and the United States.

  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL's Kazakh Service

    RFE/RL's Kazakh Service offers informed and accurate reporting in the Kazakh and Russian languages about issues that matter in Kazakhstan, while providing a dynamic platform for audience engagement and the free exchange of news and ideas.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG