EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C), has condemned the prosecution of Zhanar Sekerbayeva, a lesbian and feminist activist, in Kazakhstan.

According to the advocacy group, prosecutors opened a criminal case against Sekerbayeva yesterday, charging her with battery following an incident in a café that occurred last year. EL*C has said that the prosecution is politically motivated and is calling for due process.

Sekerbayeva is a prominent lesbian activist in Kazakhstan and is the co-founder of Feminita, an LGBT women’s rights group.

Citing documented accounts, the organisation said that Sekerbayeva was part of a peaceful tea gathering in a café in the Kazakh city of Astana last November. An onlooker and several accompanying women allegedly disrupted the event, causing a public disturbance and shouting phrases including “LGBT propaganda” and “degenerates”. Sekerbayeva was blocked from leaving the café and sustained an arm injury as a result of being pushed.

Despite these accounts, EL*C have said that the disruptor was registered by police as the victim in the situation, and Sekerbayeva’s procedural status was changed from witness to suspect.

According to the group, Sekerbayeva has been subject to “continuous pressure from police officers and investigators”.

“We are witnessing a deeply troubling situation in which a lesbian feminist activist is transformed from victim to suspect while documented acts of provocation and hate speech go unaddressed,” the group’s Executive Director Silvia Casalino said. “This case raises serious concerns about selective justice, the misuse of criminal law, and the shrinking space for LGBTIQ+ and feminist activism in Kazakhstan. EL*C stands in full solidarity with Zhanar Sekerbayeva and calls for an impartial review of the proceedings and for her fundamental rights to be fully respected.”

The group are calling on authorities in Kazakhstan to ensure due process is guaranteed in this case, and that the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ human rights defenders are protected.

Human rights organisations have been increasingly concerned about Kazakhstan’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. Last December, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a so-called “propaganda” law into the constitution, which specifically prohibits the promotion of “non-traditional sexual orientation”.

Under the new law, those found guilty of sharing information about LGBTQ+ identities through media, literature, entertainment or other means will face fines for first offences and a prison sentence of 10 days for further offences.