Kazakhstan Court Rules Schizophrenic Woman Unfit for Trial in Fatal Stabbing
A court in Kazakhstan's Atyrau region has ruled on the case of a 39-year-old woman who stabbed her 103-year-old mother-in-law to death. The defendant, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was declared legally insane and unfit to stand trial. The decision follows recent legal reforms tightening rules on crimes linked to mental illness.
The incident took place when the woman attacked her mother-in-law with a kitchen knife, inflicting four to five fatal wounds. Medical experts confirmed she suffered from severe paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the crime. Due to her condition, the court determined she could not participate in proceedings or be held criminally responsible.
Under Kazakhstan's updated criminal code—revised in 2023—offenders with diminished capacity now face mandatory psychiatric treatment. The court ordered the woman's compulsory admission to a specialised hospital. This ruling aligns with stricter legal measures introduced between 2021 and 2026, which expanded forced treatment for mentally ill offenders.
The judges concluded that the killing occurred during a psychotic episode. While exempt from prison, the defendant will remain in institutional care for an indefinite period.
The case highlights the impact of Kazakhstan's recent legal changes on mentally ill offenders. Instead of imprisonment, the woman will undergo court-mandated psychiatric treatment. Authorities have increasingly applied such measures since the 2023 reforms came into force.
