During an ongoing high-profile murder trial in Atyrau, defendant Sultan Sarsemaliyev, who is accused of murdering an entire family, told the court what he did after the killings. According to his testimony, he traveled to Mecca via Turkey in November 2025.
“I was disappointed in life. I asked God for forgiveness and said that I would die. I was in Mecca for 10 days. If God does not understand me, no one else will. I did not commit the crime lightly. They pushed me to this point themselves. Yes, I made a mistake. But they are also to blame. I did not kill them innocently,” Sarsemaliyev told the court.
Account of events leading up to the crime
During earlier hearings, Sarsemaliyev described the events that preceded the killings.
According to his testimony, his mother had been caring for his children. In September 2025, his wife, Akbayan Mukangaliyeva, received a disability certificate. He said authorities then required a two-month waiting period before a decision could be made on whether she would be declared legally incapacitated.
During that period, Sarsemaliyev took his wife and their 3-year-old daughter to the village of Zhangeldin, where her relatives lived.
He said he hoped his in-laws would agree to become Mukangaliyeva’s legal guardians. Instead, he allegedly encountered hostility from his father-in-law, Maksot Karabalin, his mother-in-law, Nassip Uteshkaliyeva, and his sister-in-law, Meiramgul Karabalina. According to Sarsemaliyev, they began insulting him as soon as he entered the house.
The following morning, his father-in-law allegedly kicked him and demanded that he bring his remaining children from the city, threatening to cause a scandal if he refused.
Sarsemaliyev claimed the treatment caused him severe psychological distress, which ultimately led him to commit the murders.
Confession after extradition
Sarsemaliyev said he admitted to the killings at the airport after being extradited from Indonesia, where he had fled following the crime.
“I did not do anything to justify myself or evade responsibility for the crime. I understand that I went too far. But it was as if they asked for it themselves,” Sarsemaliyev said through tears.
