Kazakhstan Woman Found to Have Tried to Sell Her Unborn Child

Kazakhstan's Pavlodar Region Prosecutor's Office reported on August 12, 2026, on a criminal case involving a woman born in 2002 who lives in the city of Turkistan.

It was reported that, due to financial difficulties, the woman decided to sell her unborn child while still pregnant. To do so, she posted an advertisement in one of the VKontakte groups related to adoption. She eventually found a buyer and agreed to sell the baby for 800,000 tenge.

On March 28, 2026, the woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl at Perinatal Center No. 1 in Pavlodar Region.

The woman's illegal activity was documented during operational-search measures and covert investigative actions conducted under the coordination of the prosecutor's office. As part of the operation, the buyer was given money whose serial numbers had been recorded in advance.

On March 31, in one of the apartments in Pavlodar, the woman handed the newborn baby and the child's medical documents to the buyer. In return, she received 100,000 tenge.

Under a verdict issued by the Pavlodar Specialized Interdistrict Juvenile Affairs Court, the woman was found guilty of trafficking in minors under Part 1 of Article 135 of the Criminal Code. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

However, under Article 74 of Kazakhstan's Criminal Code, enforcement of the sentence was deferred for five years. This measure may be applied to pregnant women and women who have minor children or are actually raising them.