Aizhan Kulbaeva, a judge in the capital Astana's court, found the defendant Kuandyk Bishimbayev guilty of torture and "murder with particular cruelty" of Saltanat Nukenoya, as she announced the verdict. The trial, which lasted for over a month, was broadcast online, a first in the country's history. In her ruling, the judge said that the former economy minister and current owner of one of Astana's top restaurants posed "a dangerous risk of repeating the crime". Bishimbayev will serve his sentence in a maximum-security prison. In the glass cage for defendants, Bishimbayev lowered his head after the sentence and did not make a statement when the judge asked if he had any questions. Another defendant, Bakhytzhan Baijanov, a relative of the ex-minister, was sentenced to four years in prison for helping to cover up the crime. The death of Saltanat Nukenoya, 31, in a restaurant in Astana in mid-November shocked Kazakhstan, a country of 20 million where society remains largely patriarchal. The case sparked outrage and prompted President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to react, including by toughening laws against domestic violence. A public poster campaign urging women not to be afraid to complain has also been launched, and police have reported an increase in the number of arrests. In April, Kazakhstan adopted a law to protect women from domestic violence after a series of high-profile cases of male violence, joining other Central Asian nations in increasing jail terms for abusers. Following Bishimbayev's brutal crime, Kazakhs collected more than 150,000 signatures demanding tougher legislation against domestic violence. Lawmakers also received more than 5,000 letters asking them to change laws to better protect women. According to the authorities, more than 80 femicides are registered in the country each year, but the UN and independent statistics say that more than 400 Kazakh women die at the hands of their partners annually. Only about 40 percent of such crimes reach the courts. Bishimbayev, who was also an adviser to former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption before being released on parole in 2019. Read Also: Ex-ministro do Cazaquistão confessa ter espancado mulher até à morte (Portuguese version)