Feminita activists. Archive photo by Svetlana Glushkova, RFE/RL
On 8 December an authorised march in support of women’s rights organised by activists from the organisation Feminita took place behind the Sary-Arka cinema complex in Almaty, reports Informburo.kz (in Russian).
According to the news site’s information, six people took part in the march. Vlast.kz reported four participants.
Carrying a banner reading “Almaty city municipality has authorised this march for equal rights and opportunities for women in society and the strengthening of their political and civic role”, they walked several times between the statues of Lenin and Kalinin.
The activists explained that the city authorities had stipulated that no more than 50 people were to take part in the march, and so Feminita “did not widely publicise the event”.
The process of reaching an agreement with municipal authorities regarding the march took nearly a year. Initially the march was planned for the 8 March, International Women’s Day (the application was handed in 19 February), but permission was not received until 3 December. On 7 December, the day before the march, Feminita announced that the basic aim was “to draw attention to women’s rights, an issue which is seldom discussed”, including the rights of lesbians and sex workers. “This peaceful march is inclusive and open to all women whose voices are silenced – it gives these girls and women the chance to speak out, to show their solidarity, and to embrace their fellow sisters,” stated the declaration.
At the event itself, activist Leila Mahmudova, referring to the difficulty of coming to an agreement with the authorities, said that demonstration’s aims were more limited than originally planned. According to her, “since we agreed with the city authorities to talk about strengthening the political and civic role of women, today’s march will be dedicated to this specific theme”.
Formed a few years ago, the organisation Feminita works to defend groups who face oppression in Kazakh society (specifically including lesbians, disabled women and sex workers). It applied to the municipal government for registration as a civil society organisation but was turned down. In court, where the activists had tried to have the decision overturned, a judge ruled that the stated aims of the group “do not promote the strengthening of existing spiritual and moral values, a spiritual culture...and the prestige and role of the family in society”.
Earlier this year, in September, the first authorised feminist demonstration was held in Almaty, attended by more than a hundred women, as well as men who supported their initiative. They demanded the observance of women’s rights and tougher sentences for violence against women.
