A court in Astana on September 18 handed a 7 1/2-year prison term to Alikhan Muradov, who took seven employees of the Kaspi Bank hostage in the Kazakh capital in June. The hostage crisis was resolved with no casualties after special police forces stormed the bank building. Kazakh authorities said then that Muradov had debts to the bank and demanded, among other things, financial support for his relatives. Local media reports said Muradov also demanded money for disabled people and families with lower incomes. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh Bank Hostage-Taker Gets More Than Seven Years In Prison
