Paper abstract:

This research will focus on the march "No to Violence Against Women" and " Bride Kidnapping is a Crime" that was held by the Kyrgyz women's rights defenders and activists in the capital city, Bishkek on March 8, 2020, on the grounds that the traditions practiced in the Kyrgyz society devalue women and produce violence against them. During the march, the organizers and participants of this march were attacked by a group of masked men wearing Kyrgyz traditional hats, and the march was terminated. Nearly 70 women participants, including the march organizers, were arrested by the police and taken to the police station. This is an indicator that to what extent freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are protected in the country and whether gender inequality is seen as a problem by policy makers. The purpose of this paper, focusing on this solidarity march, is to critically examine problems in women's access to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the context of the gender equality in the Kyrgyz society, and to answer the question of whether the traditional interests of the Kyrgyz society and democratic freedoms are parallel. This paper is based on primary sources, including the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and institutional reports, and on the secondary sources such as research articles, book chapters, and analytical materials.

Keywords: Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, Gender, Solidarity March, Kyrgyzstan.