Kazakhstani feminist and LGBTIQ+ activist Zhanar Sekerbayeva, co-founder of Feminita and board member of EL*C, has been sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest. This alarming move appears to be an attempt to silence her voice ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), preventing her from participating in or organizing public events.
Sekerbayeva’s arrest followed her participation in a peaceful protest demanding a life sentence for former minister Bishimbayev, who was convicted of brutally murdering his wife. Feminist activists in Kazakhstan continue to demand justice and stronger measures against gender-based violence.
This is not the first time Zhanar and her colleagues have faced repression for their human rights activism. Just last week, Sekerbayeva and Feminita co-founder Gulzada Serzhan were fined after former chair of the NGO “Kazakhstan Parents’ Union,” Bagila Baltabaeva—who initiated a petition against so-called “LGBT propaganda” in Kazakhstan—called law enforcement to disrupt a feminist event.
VirusOFF and activists worldwide are calling for urgent attention to this case and demanding Zhanar’s immediate release, emphasizing that her arrest is a blatant violation of fundamental human rights!