Rakhat Aliyev
A high-flying son-in-law of Kazakhstan's president, his fall from grace ended in an Austrian jail cell amid murder charges.
1962–2015 (age 53)·Kazakh politician·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Rakhat Aliyev's life traced a steep arc from privileged insider to international fugitive. Marrying the daughter of Kazakhstan's long-ruling president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, he quickly ascended to powerful positions, including head of the tax police and deputy head of the national security committee. His persona was one of a sophisticated, Western-facing diplomat, serving as Kazakhstan's ambassador to Austria. However, this polished exterior concealed a darker reputation for ruthless business dealings and political intimidation. A very public falling-out with his father-in-law in 2007 led to charges of kidnapping and conspiracy in Kazakhstan, stripping him of his roles and protections. He remained in Austria, where separate investigations eventually led to his arrest for the alleged murder of two bankers. He was found dead in his Vienna prison cell in 2015, before his trial could conclude, in an apparent suicide that closed a chapter of oligarchic intrigue and familial power struggles.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Rakhat was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rakhat Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Rakhat's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Died at 53
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Served as the First Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB).
- Held the position of Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Austria and later to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
- Was appointed as the country's Deputy Foreign Minister in 1999.
Did You Know?
He was married to Dinara Nazarbayeva, the daughter of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
He authored a book titled 'The Godfather-in-Law', a critical account of the Nazarbayev family.
Austrian authorities charged him with the murder of two senior bankers from Nurbank, a bank he once controlled.
He held a doctorate in medical sciences.
“Power is not given, it is taken.”
