BISHKEK -- A Kyrgyz court handed down a 20-year prison sentence to a man who kidnapped and killed a young woman in May, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Tuesday (December 11).
The Sverdlov District Court in Bishkek December 11 convicted Mars Bodoshev, 29, of abducting Burulai Turdaaly Kyzy, whom he wanted to force into marriage, and then killing her.
The court also sentenced co-defendant Akmat Seiitov, Bodoshev's friend who aided the kidnapping, to seven years in prison.
Bodoshev stabbed Turdaaly Kyzy to death at a Chui Province police station when police left the pair alone in a room.
Several senior police officers were fired afterward. Penalties for other officers included warnings and demotions.
Multiple demonstrations against "bride kidnapping" took place nationwide after the slaying.
Prosecutions of bride kidnapping are rare in Kyrgyzstan, even though the practice is outlawed.
