Education
Trained as a physician, according to RFE/RL’s biographical account.
PERSON
Rakhat Aliyev
Former Kazakh ambassador to Austria and Deputy Foreign Minister. Died in Vienna in 2015.
Archival source 20.10.2026
Biography from sources
Biography
Rakhat Aliyev was a Kazakh diplomat and former public official who trained as a physician. He served as deputy head of the National Security Committee and presidential guard, as ambassador to Austria and as Deputy Foreign Minister.
In April 2007 he represented Kazakhstan at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. On 24 February 2015 he was found dead in Vienna’s Josefstadt prison while awaiting trial on charges of murdering two Kazakh bankers.
He rejected the charges as politically motivated. RFE/RL reported that day that an Austrian court spokeswoman described the death as suicide, while his lawyer disputed that account.
Career from source
- Served as deputy head of the National Security Committee and presidential guard.
- 2002 – appointed Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Austria.
- 2005 – appointed Deputy Foreign Minister after returning to Kazakhstan.
- 30 April 2007 – attended the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna as Kazakhstan’s ambassador.
- From June 2014 – held in Austrian custody.
- 24 February 2015 – found dead in Josefstadt prison in Vienna.