Kazakh Woman With Schizophrenia Avoids Prison After Fatal Stabbings
A court in Kazakhstan's Atyrau region has ruled on the killing of 82-year-old Tynyshtyk Karasayeva. The defendant, her daughter-in-law Gulshara Karasayeva, was found not criminally liable due to severe mental illness. Instead of prison, she has been ordered into compulsory psychiatric treatment.
The decision follows a trial where the court determined that paranoid schizophrenia impaired her ability to understand or control her actions at the time of the attack.
The incident took place in 2023, when Gulshara Karasayeva stabbed her bedridden mother-in-law five times in the head. The elderly woman died immediately from her injuries. During the trial, medical evidence confirmed that the defendant suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, rendering her incapable of comprehending the severity of her actions.
Earlier, in a separate but related case before the Karaganda district court, Gulshara Karasayeva had been acquitted of murder charges for killing her 3-year-old child. The court classified that act as an impulsive reaction to extreme provocation—allegedly triggered by the child repeatedly damaging her shoes and religious items. Under Kazakh law (Article 109), this led to her release from criminal liability, though she was placed under psychiatric supervision.
The defendant is a mother of five children, all under the age of ten. Her father had requested that she remain in treatment in Atyrau, but the court rejected this, citing concerns that her condition could pose a risk to others. Instead, she will be transferred to a specialised mental health facility in the village of Aktas, Almaty region.
The verdict means Gulshara Karasayeva will undergo mandatory psychiatric treatment rather than face imprisonment. Authorities have deemed her mental state too unstable for release or local care. The case highlights the legal and medical challenges in handling violent crimes linked to severe psychiatric disorders.
