In Kazakhstan, it’ll be prohibited to cut detainees’ hair in the detention centers

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, Erlan Turgumbaev, decided to ban the haircut of detainees in pre-trial detention centers. According to the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from now on, suspects will lose their hair only after the court finds them guilty.

The “Hair scandal” broke out in the framework of the high-profile “case of doctors”, which is now ongoing in Kazakhstan. It began with the death of the deputy prosecutor of Alatau district of Almaty Nursultan Kudebaev who was the son of Serik Kudebaev (the Head of the Police department of Almaty).

In early August, Nursultan Kudebaev had an accident on ATV. He was hospitalized in a state of average severity with fractures of the clavicle, ribs and shoulder blade. In Almaty city hospital No.4, he had surgery. By the way, Kanat Tezekbaev (the head doctor of the hospital No.4) took part in that operation. During the operation, the son of the chief of police had a cardiac arrest. It took doctors about 40 minutes to restart it. After the operation, Kudebaev’s son lapsed into a coma. Three weeks later, he was transported to Germany. He died on August 27.

26 days after his death, the doctor Kanat Tezekbaev was fired. On September 20, Tezekbaev was detained for 72 hours. On September 22, by court order, the former head doctor of the hospital was arrested for two months. Askar Tungushbaev, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, was taken into custody with him. Both doctors were charged with “improper performance of professional duties by a medical or pharmaceutical worker”. On September 25, the staff of the city hospital wrote an open appeal in defense of their colleagues. The doctors noted that both Tezekbaev and Tungushbaev are professionals who have saved many lives.

Meanwhile, the wife of the surgeon Dina Tezekbaeva addressed for help to the country’s President Kasym-Zhomart Tokaev.

“Being in New York, I read appeals from the medical community regarding the detention of the head doctor and anesthesiologist of the 4th city hospital of Almaty in connection with the death of the patient in Germany. I instructed to sort it out according to the law. The presidential administration, the Ministry of Health and the mayor of Almaty keep the situation under control,” Tokaev wrote on his Twitter after that.

Following this message, the preventive measure was changed for both arrested doctors. They were released on recognizance not to leave the country.

According to Dina Tezekbaeva, her husband was closely cropped in the detention center.

“He was at the detention center No.18. Before that, he spent two days in the Department of economic investigations. The worst thing was that when he came out, he was closely cropped. Can you imagine!? It was terrible. My husband was morally depressed. It was six days of hell,” said the spouse of the surgeon at the press conference.

And today, Minister of Internal Affairs, Erlan Turgumbaev, commented on why the surgeon was cropped in detention center.

“About shaving. There is a current order in pre-trial detention centers, where, for the purposes of sanitary and epidemiological standards, they cut hair to one and a half centimeters. Do not shave, but cut. Now I have decided to cancel this order. Until the court’s decision, until the person’s imprisonment, where he will be placed, this measure will not be used,” the Minister promised, adding that such a decision was made on September 30 at the meeting in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.