Kazakh gay-rights activist fined over controversial photoshoot
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 August 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakh gay-rights activist fined over controversial photoshoot, 20 August 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc052cf12.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 20, 2018 12:16 GMT
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
Kazakh rights activist Zhanar Sekerbaeva (file photo)
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – A gay rights and women's rights activist in Kazakhstan has been fined for taking part in a provocative photoshoot that she says was aimed at raising awareness about a taboo subject in Kazakhstan – menstruation.
A court in Almaty ruled on August 20 that activist Zhanar Sekerbaeva was guilty on hooliganism charges in connection with the controversial photo shoot. She was ordered her to pay a fine of 12,000 Kazakh tenges, or about $35.
Sekerbaeva, a member of the Kazakhstan-based gay rights and women's rights group Feminita, took part in the August 9 photo shoot on the streets of Almaty – holding up a drawing of a woman menstruating over a group of traditional nomadic houses known as yurts.
Amnesty International had urged Kazakh authorities on August 16 to "immediately end proceedings" against Sekerbaeva.
Heather McGill, an Amnesty International researcher on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said the case against Sekerbaeva was "a perfect illustration" of Kazakh authorities' "intolerance of any views which they do not endorse."
Sekerbaeva was detained on August 15, shortly before she was due to make a presentation in Almaty about her research on HIV and health issues that impact lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender women in Kazakhstan.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
