Hunting Accidents In Kazakhstan

The Independent (02.15.06):

"The government of oil-rich Kazakhstan has been accused of operating death squads after a prominent opposition politician was found murdered with his driver and bodyguard. Altynbek Sarsenbaiuly, 43, was the second opposition leader to be found dead in suspicious circumstances in three months." 'Death squad' kills outspoken critic of Kazakh government

Altynbek "had made himself unpopular with the government of President Nursultan Nazarbayev by criticising his daughter and heir apparent, Dariga, for her grip on the country's media." The government is suggesting that the cause of death may have been some sort of "hunting or road accident", even though eyewitnesses say all three were shot in the back, and that "the hands of the driver and bodyguard were bound with plastic ties." "His death comes just three months after the body of another former government minister and opposition figure, Zamanbek Nurkadilov, was found." The government said Zamanbek committed suicide, even though he had two gunshot wounds to the chest, and one to the head.