LEGAL NIHILISM AND LEGAL ILLITERACY OF KAZAKHSTANI CITIZENS IN THE CONTEXT OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS AND PROCEEDINGS THAT CAUSED A WIDE PUBLIC RESONANCE

Abstract

This article is devoted to the problems of legal nihilism and legal illiteracy of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the influence of the above-mentioned social phenomena on the Kazakh legal system and the activities of state bodies. To more clearly demonstrate the negative impact of the two above-mentioned factors on the Kazakh state and society as a whole, particularly high-profile criminal cases have been selected over the past few years: the case of figure skater Denis Ten in 2018 and the case of Saltanat Nukenova in 2023.

The article provides a detailed analysis of the above crimes from the point of view of criminal law, through which the problem of incorrect qualification of such criminal acts by state bodies due to public pressure generated by the low level of legal literacy of citizens of Kazakhstan is revealed. Based on the findings, the problem of interaction between the Kazakh state and society is determined, namely, the lack of developed strategies, methods and developed practices of responding by state bodies to the increased attention of citizens in the investigation and trial of these high-profile crimes.

The study focuses on factors contributing to a decrease in the level of legal culture among citizens of Kazakhstan, such as insufficient legal awareness of the population, distrust of judicial and law enforcement agencies, as well as social and cultural aspects that affect the perception of law.

This article also contains recommendations for government officials in order to improve the legal culture of the civilian population, as well as a warning for ordinary citizens of Kazakhstan with a recommendation to change their attitude to legal norms and the legal process.