Journalist Kymbat Doszhan has announced that individuals involved in the sale of Zhanibek to a foreign citizen are being identified, reports the “Adyrna” National Portal. She shared updates about the search on her social media.
“Today is the first day of 2025… Zhanibek wished me a happy New Year. He asked, ‘Please bring me back to Kazakhstan again, buy me a ticket; I want to celebrate the New Year with you.’ Unfortunately, I couldn’t fulfill his request. The timing was tight, and secondly, even if I invited him, I don’t have good news to share with him yet.
On December 9, 2024, I sent an official letter addressed to the State Counselor and the Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan. The letter detailed how the Belgian single woman, Valérie Savelyeva, who adopted Zhanibek Jumagulov, had paid $12,000 to a translator during her visit to Arkalyk for the adoption process. The translator’s name was explicitly mentioned in the letter.
In spring 2024, this information was confirmed in a video interview by Valérie Savelyeva, where she openly recounted the story. According to her, when she arrived in Arkalyk from Belgium, two people picked her up at the Astana airport and drove her to Arkalyk. She stayed at the translator’s house and, the next morning, handed over $12,000 to the translator before they went together to the orphanage. Savelyeva also revealed that the translator had instructed her to pretend to consider other children before choosing Zhanibek. Valérie followed these instructions.
This video interview is in Zhanibek Jumagulov’s possession, as well as with me, Kymbat Doszhan, as his legal representative,” she wrote.
Doszhan also mentioned that people are inquiring about Zhanibek’s biological relatives and the family members he visited in Kazakhstan while searching for his mother.
“To the concerned public, I want to say that DNA samples were taken from 54 women who were presumed to have given birth during that period. None matched Zhanibek’s DNA. Some ask, ‘What about the remaining women? Why haven’t they been tested?’ It’s a valid question. However, I keep hearing various excuses from the police, such as ‘Those women are hard to trace, they’ve moved abroad, or we don’t have enough investigators.’
A man presumed to be Zhanibek’s father has been identified, but he is deceased. His biological children refused to provide DNA samples, although his siblings are aware of the situation. I personally met with a police officer to discuss this, but my requests were ignored.
I am confident that those involved in selling children to foreign citizens and counting dollars are now losing sleep. The translator is not the only figure in this case. If the investigation proceeds fairly, everyone involved, from those who transported Savelyeva from Astana to Arkalyk, to officials in responsible positions, must be held accountable.
Over the past year, Zhanibek and I have been waiting for results. During this time, I’ve learned the stories of many women. I haven’t disclosed their names or shared photos or videos because, as someone who has worked in Kazakh media for 40 years, I understand the importance of responsibility. I know who the translator is, where they live, their past and current jobs, and so does Zhanibek,” said Doszhan.
She explained why she hasn’t disclosed the details.
“As a law-abiding citizen and Zhanibek’s legal representative, I refrain from publishing this information to avoid hindering the investigation. If I were someone chasing hype, I would have already revealed everything.
To those involved in child trafficking, I say: reveal the truth about Zhanibek and contact me. Our primary goal is to find the child’s biological mother. The matter of child trafficking should be handled by the relevant authorities. No matter if 20 or even 50 years pass, the weight of child trafficking will not diminish.
Currently, Zhanibek is in Spain, working various jobs to make ends meet. He has endured great hardships since being separated from his mother and homeland at birth. Despite his resilience, his situation is challenging. Even when he smiles or travels to the world’s most beautiful places, he lives with the question: ‘Who is my mother?’ That question greets him every morning and follows him to bed every night,” Doszhan said.
