Kazakh feminist activist fined for menstruation campaign

Almaty, Aug. 20: A Kazakh court on Monday fined a feminist and LGBT activist for "hooliganism" after she took part in a campaign aimed at breaking the taboo around menstruation in the ex- Soviet nation.

Zhanar Sekerbayeva, cofounder of the feminist group Feminita, was ordered to pay a fine of 35 dollars ( 30 euros) by a court in the Central Asian republic's largest city of Almaty, an AFP journalist said.

Sekerbayeva took part in a photoshoot in the centre of Almaty on August 9 in which she and other activists held up posters, including a drawing of a woman menstruating over traditional Yurt tents.

"This subject has always been and remains shameful in Kazakh society: we don't talk about it and we prefer to avoid any discussion of the subject," Feminita wrote at the time on its website.

A week later the activist was taken to a police station and charged with minor hooliganism, a crime that can be punished with up to 10 days in jail. "It's a shame that activists from the LGBT community are facing judgement for their political views," Sekerbayeva told AFP following the ruling.

"We didn't attack anyone. Quite the opposite -- during the demonstration we were subject to mockery and condemnation of passersby," she said, adding that she intended to appeal the judgement.