The recent arrest of lesbian and feminist activist Zhanar Sekerbayeva is yet another example of the systematic repression faced by women human rights defenders in Kazakhstan. Co-founder of Feminita and board member of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), Zhanar was sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention in an attempt to silence her activism ahead of International Women’s Day. …
Zhanar was arrested without any formal justification while training at the gym. She was later convicted for alleged violations of the rules of public assemblies. According to EL*C, her detention is clearly political, aimed at preventing her from participating in feminist demonstrations before March 8 .
Furthermore, during the trial, explicit references were made to her links to LGBTI+ activism, despite the protest where she was arrested being unrelated to this cause. This demonstrates how institutional LGBTphobia in Kazakhstan is used as a weapon to discredit and persecute feminist and queer activists. The Feminita organisation has been systematically prevented from obtaining legal recognition and its members face harassment, fines and criminalisation.
Continue reading at: https://esqrever.com/2025/03/02/feminista-lesbica-cazaquistao-zhanar-sekerbayeva/ (Source)
Further reading:
Listening to Lesbians 