The Murder of Sherzat Polat
Sixteen-year-old Sherzat Polat was fatally stabbed during a confrontation outside his family's shop in Talgar. The later trial separated the conduct of nine defendants rather than treating every participant as a murderer, and the appellate court left the resulting sentences unchanged.
Sherzat Polat, 16, died after violence outside the Kamazhay shop in Talgar on October 4, 2024. The case drew intense national attention in Kazakhstan and produced a large investigation with numerous witnesses, forensic examinations and video evidence. Nine people eventually stood trial, but the court assigned different criminal responsibility to each defendant.
The confrontation in Talgar
According to the factual account summarized from the trial, an argument developed outside the shop and escalated after additional people arrived. A group fight followed. The court found that Abzal Shynasyl inflicted the fatal stab wound to Sherzat and also committed attempted murder and hooliganism-related conduct.
Other defendants were convicted of different offenses arising from the same episode, including attempted murder, hooliganism, theft and failure to report a serious crime. Crime by Region does not describe all nine as Sherzat's killers because the judgment itself did not do so.
A large criminal investigation
Reporting on the preliminary hearing described an unusually extensive investigation: around forty forensic examinations, approximately two hundred witnesses and multiple video recordings were used to assess the conduct of people present during the confrontation. The criminal case proceeded to an open trial in Taldykorgan in 2025.
The June 2025 verdict
On June 5, 2025, the court convicted all nine defendants of offenses that differed by role and evidence. Shynasyl received the longest sentence, 23 years, for homicide, attempted homicide and hooliganism. Ravil Sakiyev received 20 years for attempted homicide and related conduct. Azamat Toktaubayev received 15 years; Nurkiyas Ilyasov received nine years; Shyngys Belgazhayev, Darkhan Askentay, Nurbol Toktaubayev and Didar Kaliyakhmet each received seven years. Duman Ysqaq, who was a minor, received one year and six months for failure to report a crime.
The presiding judge specifically explained that the fatal wound was a single stab wound inflicted by Shynasyl. That finding is important because members of Sherzat's family had argued for broader group-homicide liability, but the court did not classify the other defendants as co-perpetrators of the fatal stabbing merely because they participated in the wider confrontation.
Appeals
Eight convicted defendants challenged the first-instance judgment. On August 19, 2025, the Almaty Regional Court's appellate panel rejected the requests to reduce or overturn the relevant convictions and left the original judgment and sentences unchanged.
The appellate outcome supports a solved/adjudicated classification. It does not erase separate questions raised during the proceedings about the conduct of witnesses or other potential offenses; the trial court issued a separate ruling asking prosecutors to examine the actions of several people who had been at the scene.
Abzal Shynasyl was convicted of Sherzat Polat's homicide and received 23 years. The remaining defendants were convicted of other offenses with varying responsibility. They are not all described here as murderers, and witness-related issues identified by the court are not treated as convictions.
Timeline
- Sherzat Polat is killed in Talgar
A confrontation outside a shop escalates into group violence; Sherzat sustains the fatal stab wound.
- Investigation develops
Investigators collect forensic evidence, interview large numbers of witnesses and analyze video material.
- Open court proceedings begin
Nine defendants face trial in Taldykorgan.
- Verdict and sentences
Shynasyl receives 23 years for homicide and additional offenses; eight other defendants receive sentences reflecting their separately adjudicated conduct.
- Appeal leaves judgment unchanged
The Almaty Regional Court rejects the challenges and keeps the original verdict and sentences in force.
Sources and further reading
- Foundation for Bureau of Investigative Journalism / FBRK — June 5, 2025 court-summary report
- Orda — June 5, 2025 sentencing report
- Orda — August 19, 2025 appellate decision
- Kazinform — August 19, 2025 report confirming that the appellate court left the verdict in force
Last reviewed: September 4, 2026