The girl with sun-shaped earrings: A family remembers a murdered daughter

This article is simply a collaboration betwixt Kyrgyzstan-based media outlet Kloop and Al Jazeera and is based connected reporting conducted betwixt 2022 and 2024.

Osh, Kyrgyzstan – When Mediyana Talantbekova was astir 10 years old, she would watch complete her family’s calves. One day, 1 of them went to graze successful a section of clover, a works that tin origin deadly bloating, and died.

Mediyana, who lived pinch her family successful Osh, a metropolis successful southwestern Kyrgyzstan, was distressed by nan calf’s decease and felt she was to blame.

When her father, Talantbek Ergeshov, a farmer, returned location that evening he recovered her sitting softly successful a area of nan house. “What’s wrong, my daughter? You look upset,” he recalled asking her.

Mediyana started crying. “Dad, I killed a calf,” she told him.

Talantbek comforted his daughter. “Aw my girl, don’t cry, it’s not specified a problem,” he told her. He helped her understand that nan calf’s decease was not her responsibility and, to cheer her up, he told her he would return her to nan festivals nan pursuing greeting to bargain a brace of earrings.

That night, Mediyana sewage retired of furniture and went to aftermath her father. “Daddy, nan sun is not rising,” she told him, impatient for nan time to begin.

When greeting came, Talantbek took his girl to nan golden festivals to get her ears pierced. He past bought her a brace of earrings shaped for illustration suns. He remembers really happy Mediyana was and really she told him: “Dad, from now connected I will watch nan calves truthful nary of them dies.”

Twelve years later, connected a winter’s time successful January, Mediyana, a 22-year-old student, would neglect to move up for her dentistry exam. Her friends, family and nan constabulary would hunt for her for 9 days until her assemblage was discovered successful nan backmost gait of a location successful Osh. Talantbek would spell to nan morgue to place his only daughter, nan sun-shaped jewellery still successful her ears.

Mediyana was murdered by a classmate who, conscionable a fewer weeks earlier, had drugged and raped her. The shame and stigma associated pinch rape, moreover much truthful successful a profoundly blimpish nine for illustration Kyrgyzstan, meant Mediyana initially didn’t show anyone. Instead, she felt compelled to “negotiate” a matrimony to her rapist to unafraid a early wherever she could raise her unborn child.

A photograph of Mediyana erstwhile she was successful nan 3rd people and astir 9 years aged [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

‘She loved this house’

On a sunny time successful early September 2022, Talantbek, 47, a small, solidly built man, dressed successful a plain achromatic T-shirt and lightweight grey pants, stood successful beforehand of nan one-storey yellowish ceramic location successful cardinal Osh wherever he had lived pinch Mediyana.

“She loved this house. While we lived present my girl tried to do everything to make it cosy,” he said, describing really Mediyana had dressed up nan spot pinch potted flowers, cactuses and succulents.

When it was warm, Mediyana and Talantbek would beryllium connected nan beforehand structure connected “toshoks”, colourful, burgundy-hued patchwork mattresses, drinking beverage and talking astir their day.

“She was ever a very benignant and smiley kid — very friendly,” Talantbek said.

Mediyana spent almost each her life successful Osh – Kyrgyzstan’s second-largest metropolis aft nan superior Bishkek – which lies adjacent to nan Uzbekistan border.

The city, which grew retired of a colony on ancient Silk Road waste and acquisition routes, is known for nan low-lying Sulaiman-Too Sacred Mountain, which has agelong attracted Muslim pilgrims and is 1 of 3 Krygyz UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Simple one-storey houses statement constrictive streets successful nan centre of nan metropolis of 300,000, while accepted eateries service samsa, lamb aliases mutton pastries baked successful clay ovens, and nan bazaars are crowded and noisy.

In 2023, astir 14 percent of Osh’s organization lived below nan poorness line, earning an mean of $2 a day. Since nan early 2000s, residents from Osh, and elsewhere successful nan country, person migrated to Russia successful hunt of amended activity opportunities.

The location wherever Mediyana and her begetter lived earlier her execution [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

Potato pies and late-night studies

Mediyana’s family was nary exception.

In 2011, her mother, Gulmayram, stopped moving connected nan family workplace to subordinate her sister successful nan Russian superior to prevention money to build a caller house. Later that year, Talantbek, Mediyana, past 11, and her younger brother, Adilet, past 9, joined her.

But nan children didn’t for illustration Moscow and returned to Osh to unrecorded pinch their relatives. They would sojourn their parents during nan schoolhouse holidays, and Mediyana would matter and video telephone regular pinch Gulmayram, who still lives there, moving arsenic a cashier successful a bakery.

Adilet moved to Moscow erstwhile he was 18 and recovered a occupation successful a recreation agency. Talantbek, who worked location arsenic a information guard, returned to Osh successful 2018 and lived pinch Mediyana while building a caller two-storey family location successful nan quiet suburbs, increasing apples and breeding horses.

Gulmayram, 47, speaks tenderly astir her girl complete a WhatsApp video call.

“She was a very caring girl and sister. I retrieve erstwhile maine and her relative were moving successful nan field, she brought america luncheon — murphy pies which she’d cooked herself,” she recounted, trying to clasp backmost tears. “She was only 7 years aged then.”

Gulmayram says Mediyana was very goal-oriented.

“She was very diligent astir her education. She would enactment up arsenic precocious arsenic 1 aliases 2am to study,” Gulmayram recalled. “She was very eager to study everything. She utilized to show me, ‘Mum, look, I’m learning this now’. She attended English connection courses …  Mediyana utilized to cook cakes for america and sometimes for her classmates’ birthdays. She was willing successful useful skills.”

She would participate successful schoolhouse dancing and singing contests, sewage bully grades and loved to publication novels.

After nan eighth grade, her parents decided to nonstop her to a prestigious Kyrgyz-Turkish school. Mediyana was thrilled, preparing each nan exertion documents herself earlier successfully passing nan entranceway exams.

Talantbek shows a image of Mediyana, left, and a friend visiting Saint Petersburg astir 2011 [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

The friend: Punctuality and a ‘pure heart’

Dinara Raimberdieva remembers gathering Mediyana during a greeting assembly successful nan 11th grade. Dinara had conscionable started astatine nan schoolhouse and recovered herself opinionated adjacent to Mediyana.

“She asked if I was new,” nan now 23-year-old recounted successful a telephone interview.

After nan assembly, Mediyana grabbed Dinara’s manus – later on, she would often respect her friend’s hands, asking, “Why do you person specified tiny, elegant hands?” and comparing them pinch her ain longer, wider ones – and took her to their English class. The 2 quickly became adjacent friends.

“She could easy get acquainted pinch anyone, she had a very axenic heart,” Dinara recalled.

Mediyana had an hour-long commute to schoolhouse pinch 2 autobus changes. In winter, location could beryllium delays owed to crystal connected nan roads, but she was ever punctual, arriving connected clip for nan first people astatine 8am. Regardless of nan weather, Mediyana’s dress and shoes would beryllium immaculate, her container neatly organised and her hairsbreadth tied into a ponytail aliases braids.

“She moved fast,” Dinara recalled. Mediyana would opportunity that Dinara, nan much diligent of nan two, reminded her of her mother. “When I americium hugging you, it feels for illustration I americium hugging my mum,” she’d show her.

She loved wearing agleam clothing successful university, sometimes ordering custom-made pieces. She ne'er wore black. Dinara remembered how, “Before her murder, her past boots and overgarment were milky-coloured.”

Talantbek recalls really Mediyana wanted to go a dentist from a young property arsenic he stands successful nan eating room of nan caller family location he is building [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

The aspiring dentist

At nan new, sprawling, partially constructed house, Talantbek pulled retired a photograph medium to show a image of Mediyana holding a certificate of honour from her university.

Mediyana was still successful schoolhouse erstwhile she decided to go a dentist. “I retrieve once, erstwhile she was a teenager, she looked astatine maine smiling and said, ‘Ata (“father” successful Kyrgyz), I will go a dentist to make your teeth perfect,’” he recalled, laughing.

However, aft graduating from precocious schoolhouse successful 2017, Mediyana grounded nan chemistry exam to study dentistry.

“She was devastated. We each told her not to interest and simply take different grade … But she refused. She said, ‘No, I want to participate aesculapian assemblage and I want to go a dentist,’” Dinara recalled.

So, Mediyana took a spread twelvemonth to hole for nan adjacent information of exams, which she passed, and she entered aesculapian schoolhouse astatine Osh State University successful 2018 pinch a awesome successful dentistry. Her parents were overjoyed. “I did not get an education, neither did my husband. That’s why we were engaged successful farming: crops and livestock. All our hopes were successful nan acquisition of our children,” Gulmayram explained.

“There are group who are acrophobic of eager goals. Mediyana was not for illustration that. She would group a extremity and would do everything to scope it. She ever wanted her parents to person patient teeth, saying it was 1 of nan reasons for her to go a dentist,” Dinara recalled.

Mediyana considered patient teeth a people of beauty and was mindful of her own, ne'er adding sweetener to her tea.

Cosmetic dental procedures are unaffordable connected an mean Kyrgyz net but Mediyana aspired to beryllium capable to springiness this attraction to her loved ones.

A photograph of Mediyana holding a certificate of honour from her assemblage successful 2021 [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

Patriarchy and stigma

At university, men started to “woo” Mediyana.

In Kyrgyzstan, nan accepted believe of wooing, aliases “juuchu” successful Kyrgyz, involves a young man’s family asking a young woman’s parents for support for nan imaginable mates to meet arsenic a precursor to marriage. Usually, nan woman is consulted by her family and if she agrees, her parents will springiness their blessing for nan gathering to return place. However, successful uncommon cases, nan position of nan matrimony are negotiated without nan girl’s consent.

In Kyrgyzstan, astir 13 percent of brides are nether 18, according to nan 2019 UNICEF MICS survey, and must often extremity their acquisition to activity aliases return up home responsibilities.

The consequence of young women being abducted and forced into matrimony besides still exists, contempt nan believe being criminalised during nan Soviet Union successful 1982, and again in 1994 aft Kyrgyzstan’s independence. In 2013, nan criminal codification was amended truthful that convicted perpetrators could look up to 10 years successful prison.

In specified cases, nan relatives of nan perpetrator mightiness effort to seduce nan kidnapped woman to wed their abductor. In this profoundly patriarchal culture, location are 2 cardinal perspectives astatine activity – nan position that if a boy has chosen his bride, his family must support his choice, and that, if a woman has entered a man’s house, leaving it would beryllium shameful. In immoderate cases, nan unfortunate is raped and claimed arsenic a “wife”, ensuring nan stigma would beryllium excessively awesome for her to return to her family.

Although location are nary publically disposable statistic connected nan number of abductions, journalists from Kloop estimated that, successful nan state of astir 7 million, almost 450 cases of abduction were registered successful 2019 and 2020, pinch only 5 percent of specified cases making it to court. According to information from nan General Prosecutor, successful 2021, 560 cases were registered of which 82 were transferred to nan courts.

When nan first “juuchular” – nan suitor’s parents – approached Gulmayram, she asked a past 18-year-old Mediyana: “Kyzym (daughter), do you want to get married?”

“No, apa (mother), why?” Mediyana said. “If I’d get joined now, I would not beryllium capable to proceed my studies. Let maine postgraduate from university. There is still plentifulness of clip to commencement a family.”

Mediyana besides told her friends she’d wed aft finishing her studies. “She wanted [her early husband] to beryllium cleanable – supportive and respectful,” Dinara recalled.

Mediyana longed to portion beverage and watch nan snowfall aliases rainfall autumn from nan second-storey model of nan caller location [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

SMSs and a bad feeling

In precocious December 2021, Mediyana called 1 of her closest assemblage friends.

Aijamal, who requested that her sanction beryllium changed successful this story, speaks astir her friend successful nan coming tense arsenic though she is still alive, but she has problem remembering specifications owed to trauma and nan clip that has passed.

Mediyana told Aijamal that a chap dentistry student had been pursuing her for a mates of months. His sanction was Abdulbasit Nazaraliev. He was 23.

Aijamal recalled her friend telling her astir nan SMS messages Abdulbasit sent, declaring his emotion for Mediyana but accusing her of not taking him “as an equal”.

“I don’t want to spell retired pinch him, but he keeps insisting and sending maine messages,’” Mediyana told Aijamal.

Aijamal had heard astir Abdulbasit pursuing female classmates and past abruptly cutting disconnected interaction pinch them. She warned Mediyana to debar him arsenic “he was not a bully guy.”

Dinara and Gulmayram besides heard astir Abdulbasit astir nan aforesaid time.

Mediyana told Dinara that he “was hitting connected her and treated her differently”.

“Honestly, I don’t cognize why, but I did not for illustration him,” Dinara remembered reasoning astatine nan time.

She and Aijamal utilized nan Kyrgyz look “bir bilgeni bargo” to picture Abdulbasit. The building translates arsenic “maybe you cognize something”, and refers to personification being sly aliases up to something.

Aijamal soon noticed a alteration successful Mediyana’s behaviour. She became irritable and mislaid her appetite, saying she didn’t for illustration nan smell of definite foods. Aijamal, who had precocious conceived, suspected that her friend was pregnant.

Talantbek holds a photograph medium showing Mediyana pinch her mother Gulmayram and her relative Adilet [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

The attack: ‘Her imagination went dark’

On nan day of January 10, 2022, Aijamal and Mediyana were stepping location aft an exam erstwhile they stopped connected a span connected nan Ak-Buura River. Mediyana seemed troubled.

“You’ve changed, Mediyana. What happened?” Aijamal recalled asking.

Mediyana started crying and hugged her friend tightly, incapable to speak.

Then, “She said, ‘Abdulbasit raped maine and I deliberation I americium pregnant,’” Aijamal recounted. It was nan first clip she had seen Mediyana crying.

Her friend told her that successful December she was successful Abdulbasit’s car when, aft drinking from a h2o vessel he had fixed her, “her imagination went dark” and she mislaid consciousness. Then he raped her. Afterwards, he threatened that if Mediyana told anyone, he would dispersed a rumour that she was not a virgin.

Mediyana’s family and friends do not cognize nan nonstop circumstances of nan rape, aliases why she was successful his car pinch him. She did not talk that pinch Aijamal. And nary 1 knows if they had immoderate benignant of narration beyond nan messages Abdulbasit sent her and immoderate interaction astatine nan university. The only relationship Aijamal witnessed betwixt Abdulbasit and Mediyana was him pursuing her astir connected field and speaking “nicely” to her. But aft nan rape, Abudulbasit trim interaction pinch Mediyana and ignored her successful public.

Nurzada Kupueva, a sociologist pinch nan activistic group Bishkek Feminist Initiatives, who has intimately followed Mediyana’s case, says “uyat” aliases shame successful Kyrgyz and victim-blaming are nan 2 main reasons why Mediyana apt didn’t initially show anyone aliases spell to nan police.

“These are intimately connected,” she explained. “In our society, if thing happens to a girl, she is often blamed, nary matter really bad nan business is. It’s ever seen arsenic a woman’s fault.”

Kupueva points retired that while nan “uyat culture” is stronger successful agrarian areas than successful cities, Osh, though a city, is simply a strict, accepted nine successful which “women are moreover much susceptible to victim-blaming.”

Kupueva believes that Mediyana whitethorn person feared being blamed if she’d reported nan rape to nan police.

A photograph connected nan near shows Mediyana and her chap classmates who graduated from precocious schoolhouse successful 2017 alongside nan honour certificate from her assemblage [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

‘Negotiating’ pinch a rapist

Later that day, Aijamal bought a gestation trial from nan drugstore and took Mediyana to her house. The trial was positive. “I instantly suggested telling her parents, truthful nan elders could thief determine what to do,” Aijamal recounted. But Mediyana said she didn’t want to make her mother consciousness “ashamed and upset”.

“Let’s not show them for now,” she told Aijamal.

Aijamal says Mediyana sent a photograph of nan trial to Abdulbasit who soon replied, “We will talk astir it later successful person.”

Aijamal believes Mediyana met Abdulbasit nan adjacent time and recalled her friend telling her that Abdulbasist had promised to wed her, but insisted that she person an abortion first.

Mediyana refused. “How tin I termination this small mini quality being, who lives wrong me?” she asked Aijamal.

Kupueva believes it would person been very difficult for Mediyana to talk her business pinch her parents, peculiarly her father, moreover if they were close. Talking astir immoderate benignant of intersexual relationship, aliases abuse, is taboo, she explained.

Mothers are besides blamed by society, and Mediyana apt wanted to protect some her parents, Kupueva added.

Mediyana would person understood her vulnerability – that to proceed studying, build a profession and person a chance of a family, she had to “‘navigate’ retired of this situation,” said Kupueva.

“She tried to ‘negotiate’ pinch her rapist,” Kupueva said, and would person seen matrimony to Abdulbasit arsenic nan only reply to a hopeless situation.

Gulsara Ergeshova, 23, is Mediyana’s cousin.

She first heard astir Abdulbasit connected January 27, erstwhile she needed dental attraction and Mediyana suggested that she spell to Abdulbasit for treatment.

“The adjacent day, Mediyana came to sojourn maine and arsenic I had not seen her for a while, I was amazed to spot really haggard she had become. ‘What happened to you and who is Abdulbasit?’” Gulsara asked her cousin, who she says was for illustration a sister to her. “She told maine everything astir nan rape and her pregnancy.”

Mediyana stayed pinch Gulsara until January 29 when, that morning, she told her relative she doubted Abdulbasit would wed her.

“I recovered retired that Abdulbasit asked a chap classmate for a date,” Mediyana told Gulsara. Mediyana had been wished to support her baby. But that greeting she was distressed. “I deliberation I will person an abortion,” she said, upset, “because he stopped returning my calls and isn’t answering my texts. He has turned retired to beryllium a liar.”

Gulsara thinks that Abdulbasit’s threats to dispersed rumours astir Mediyana accrued erstwhile he recovered retired she was pregnant. “He insisted connected an abortion and they had aggregate fights astir that,” Gulsara added, crying.

Talantbek recalls really Mediyana utilized nan broom successful nan photograph to expanse this room successful nan caller location nan evening earlier her disappearance [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

An exam and a disappearance

It was a cloudy Sunday greeting connected January 30 erstwhile Mediyana near home. She told her begetter that she was going to beryllium her end-of-semester paediatric dentistry exam. Because of staffing issues, nan module would occasionally schedule exams connected weekends.

Talantbek says Mediyana left, but returned aft a fewer minutes saying she had forgotten her purse.

“Bye, ata!” she called from nan doorstep. It was astir 8:00am.

Twenty minutes later, Mediyana called Aijamal connected WhatsApp. “I asked Mediyana wherever she was, and she replied that she was successful Abdulbasit’s car and they were going to get tested for hepatitis,” Aijamal recalled. An ex-girlfriend of Abdulbasit, learning that they mightiness person a relationship, had told Mediyana that Abdulbasit had viral hepatitis.

“Mediyana sewage frightened that nan microorganism could beryllium transferred to her babe and insisted that Abdulbasit return nan test,” Aijamal explained.

Abdulbasit had resurfaced aft ignoring Mediyana’s messages and agreed to nan trial contempt continuing to push for an abortion.

Aijamal said he told Mediyana he’d get nan trial done to beryllium he didn’t person it. His lawsuit record shows he was diagnosed pinch chronic hepatitis arsenic a child.

The friends agreed to speak later. Mediyana would beryllium applying lash extensions connected Aijamal earlier their exam truthful she could “fly to her hubby [in Moscow] each beautiful”, she recounted.

After they spoke, Mediyana sent a sound connection to Gulsara: “If thing happens to me, show everyone that Abdulbasit took maine … God forbid, I americium conscionable kidding,” she laughed nervously successful nan message.

Thirty minutes later, Aijamal called Mediyana. She did not prime up. A fewer minutes later, her telephone was switched off.

After nan 1pm paediatric dentistry exam Aijamal approached Abdulbasit. “Was Mediyana pinch you this morning?” she asked.

“No, I person not seen her,” he replied.

A photograph of Mediyana and her relative Gulsara nan past clip they saw 1 different successful precocious January 2022 [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

The search

Talantbek tried to scope Mediyana by phone. She usually came location to navigator lunch, which they’d eat together, but her telephone was off. At first, her parents weren’t worried. They thought possibly her phone, which was aged and successful request of replacing, had broken. But past her classmates called her relative Adilet successful Moscow to opportunity she hadn’t turned up for nan exam. He called his mother.

“When I heard this, my bosom sewage sick,” Gulmayram recalled. “She ne'er could’ve missed nan exam. Never.”

Gulmayram called Gulsara and asked whether she had seen Mediyana.

Gulsara was scared. She did not cognize really to react.

“I decided to telephone Abdulbasit myself,” she explained. “He answered … I tried to face him, saying that I cognize everything astir him [how he raped Mediyana], but he was truthful convincing astir his innocence. He moreover offered to thief hunt for Mediyana.”

Many of Mediyana’s friends and family were convinced that she had been abducted.

“I talked to her classmates, they knew nothing. Nobody suspected Abdulbasit — he showed up astatine nan exam, right?” Dinara said.

Later that night, Mediyana’s parents called Dinara and Aijamal to inquire if their girl had contacted them. That is erstwhile Aijamal told Gulmayram astir nan rape. Talantbek decided to spell to nan police.

A container of Mediyana’s books [Aidai Tokoeva and Savia Hasanova]

CCTV and a confession

Abdulbasit was arrested connected February 8 while crossing nan Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. He confessed to murdering Mediyana and burying her assemblage successful nan backmost gait of his home.

The autopsy revealed that Mediyana was murdered connected January 30 – nan time of nan dentistry exam.

According to Dinara Turdumatova, nan lawyer for Mediyana’s family, Abdulbasit picked up Mediyana from her home, and drove to his location wherever he murdered her successful his car.

He claimed she had a knife. Security camera footage shows him stopping astatine a shop wherever a salesperson confirmed that he bought a knife.

He said they were fighting erstwhile they pulled up astatine his location and Mediyana threw her telephone astatine him. That is erstwhile he says he stabbed her. “Abdulbasit told nan tribunal that he wanted to return Mediyana to nan hospital, but sewage frightened of being arrested,” Turdumatova said.

He sewage retired of nan car, and, returning “20 minutes later, he realised that she was dead. He took her to nan backmost yard, stabbed her 8 much times, trim her throat, dismembered her assemblage and buried her.”

According to nan lawsuit file, Abdulbasit past put nan weapon and nan assemblage documents Mediyana had pinch her that time into a container and threw them successful nan toilet extracurricular his house. At astir 12:05pm, he went to nan assemblage for nan exam and past had luncheon pinch classmates. He returned location astatine astir 8pm, and threw Mediyana’s telephone and container into a adjacent river.

In July 2022, six months aft nan murder, a first-instance tribunal sentenced Abdulbasit to 15 years successful prison.

In Kyrgyzstan, receiving a life condemnation for execution is rare. According to a 2020 Kloop investigation into femicide, since 2008 location person been astatine slightest 300 cases of femicide successful Kyrgyzstan. Kloop journalists recovered that moreover erstwhile nan circumstances of a execution were accordant pinch first-degree murder, perpetrators often received sentences applicable to second-degree execution – that is, 10 to 15 years successful prison.

In nan lawsuit of Mediyana, nan tribunal did not return into relationship nan aggravating circumstances of her execution — her pregnancy, its brutality and nan effort to conceal nan crime done dismemberment, Turdumatova explained.

The condemnation devastated Mediyana’s relatives and friends who based on it was excessively lenient.

Mediyana’s family appealed nan decision. On September 30, 2022, nan Osh Regional Court modified nan erstwhile determination and sentenced Abdulbasit to life imprisonment.

Abdulbasit’s lawyers issued an entreaty astatine nan Supreme Court to reinstate nan original sentence. On February 1, 2023, nan Supreme Court upheld nan decision. Abdulbasit will walk his life successful prison.

Mediyana’s comparative holds a photograph of Mediyana astatine nan tribunal successful Osh erstwhile Abdulbasit was sentenced to life imprisonment successful September 2022 [Aijamal Tugolbai kyzy/Kloop]

‘I hold for my daughter’

Mediyana was buried successful Osh connected February 9, 2022.

Soon aft her funeral, Gulmayram and Talantbek sent Adilet backmost to Moscow, hoping nan region would beryllium a distraction, but he would telephone Gulmayran each time crying.

“He is tortured inside,” Gulmayram said.

After Abdulbasit’s conviction, Gulmayram besides returned to Moscow. She could not carnivore to enactment successful Osh. The agony of losing her daughter, she believes, has caused her eyesight to worsen and she suffers from a damaged nerve.

But she says nan life condemnation intends “justice was done”.

“We support asking ourselves: Why? Why did he person to execution her? It is conscionable a batch to return successful — why would personification bring truthful overmuch unit to nan life of our girl and make her suffer that much?” asked Gulmayram, her sound dense pinch grief. “What I tin only do now is to believe that God will punish him. That’s it.”

Talantbek, who is usually composed, breaks down erstwhile he remembers seeing his daughter’s assemblage successful nan morgue. Mediyana had looked overmuch nan aforesaid arsenic nan past clip he saw her, connected that Sunday greeting 9 days before. In her ears were nan small suns he had bought her. “I bought those earrings erstwhile she was successful 4th people and she had them connected her,” he reflected.

Talantbek cannot fathom that Mediyana is gone. He keeps waiting for her to return. He has near her belongings successful her room untouched — her potted flowers, her Quran and her rolled dream rug.

“I understand that I person to move these things astir someday,” he said, looking into nan distance. “But I can’t thief it — I hold for my daughter, looking astatine nan doorway and reasoning possibly she will participate nan location coming aliases tomorrow.”