Saving Erbayan: A Victim of Alleged Hazing in Kazakhstan’s Military

Kosshy, Akmola Region, Kazakhstan — As dusk settled over the September evening, around 7 p.m., Gulsim Kamiyeva sat by her son, Erbayan, watching his faint breaths. His face had paled, eyes moving sluggishly. She had a timer running. In recent months, Erbayan Mukhtar had been breathing through a special plastic tube attached to his trachea. This time, he was practicing without it for about 30 minutes – longer than usual.

Doctors had attached a pulse oximeter to monitor his heart rate, blood oxygen level, and blood pressure. But he frequently removed it, so Gulsim held his hand, monitoring him herself. Erbayan gripped his mother's hand tightly, as if he didn’t want to let go.

When the timer buzzed, his sister, Kundyz Mukhtar, carefully cleaned the breathing tube and gently wiped his mouth.

Erbayan, who had suffered a mysterious fall during his military service, was slowly recovering. His family – especially his mother and sister – remained constantly by his side, helping with every need. They provided him with cooled water and food through a tube in his nose. Each time Erbayan tried to smile or express joy with his eyes, Gulsim's heart swelled with tenderness.