I am a fourth-year student at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, majoring in International and Comparative Politics. Besides studying and contributing to Global Voices, I also work at the Design and Animation Studio.
Latest posts by Asel Tursunbekova
Girls Are Told Not to Leave Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz parliament might soon ban girls under 23 years of age from leaving the country without parental consent. The bill which is aimed at preventing female migrants from becoming 'sexual slaves' has come under fierce criticism from human rights groups and some internet users.
Tweets are Bittersweet for Popular Kyrgyz MP
A Kyrgyz lawmaker has kick-started a debate in Kyrgyzstan about when journalists should and shouldn't be able to quote a Twitter feed to inform a news report.
Kyrgyzstan: Lake Son-Kul in Photos and Prose
The lonely beauty of Lake Son-Kul has long caught the imagination of foreign visitors to Kyrgyzstan. At the beginning of October when the grazing season ends, when yurts are packed up and the herders head for their homes, Son-Kul fades into myth, its existence recalled only by the surreal photography and prose it has inspired.
Kyrgyzstan: Facebook Post Spurs Row with Belarus
A photo uploaded on Facebook suggests that Janysh Bakiyev, the brother of the former Kyrgyzstani president ousted by 2010 protests, lives in Minsk. This has sparked an extradition request, the withdrawal of an ambassador and the storming of an embassy.
Kyrgyzstan: Videos Abound of ‘Patriotic’ Attacks on Migrant Women in Russia
A number of 'patriotic' videos depicting male Kyrgyz labor migrants abusing their female compatriots for associating with men from other ethnic groups while working in Russia has recently been disseminated online. The videos have sparked outrage across domestic and international networks.
