Kyrk Choro (Kyrgyz: Кырк Чоро) is a Kyrgyz right-wing nationalist organisation. It is open to members aged from 25 to 40. The organisation's name translates to Forty Warriors, a reference to the forty knights of the hero Manas in the eponymous Epic of Manas.[1] Kyrk Choro is an outspoken proponent of traditional moral codes and ethnic nationalism. In a 2015 manifesto, it demanded that foreigners would only be allowed in hotels and called for the banning of Uyghurs from the largest clothing market in Bishkek.[2] The group also campaigned against the legalisation of same-sex marriage.[3]
Kyrk Choro Кырк Чоро | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Zamirbek Kochorbaev |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Ideology | Kyrgyz nationalism Ultranationalism Ethnonationalism Antifeminism Anti-LGBT rights |
| Political position | Far-right |
Kyrk Choro has gained a degree of notoriety for its use of political violence. Freedom House described it in 2016 as an "ultranationalist vigilante group" that "enjoys official support from security agencies". Alongside other nationalist groups, it engages in protests and intimidations against political opponents and ethnic minorities.[4] The group has carried out raids on sex workers who provide services to foreigners[5] and are accused of intimidating and attacking feminist and LGBT activists on multiple occasions, allegedly in collaboration with Kyrgyz state authorities.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ Aitkulova, Meerim (2021). "Kyrk Choro: A Neo-Nationalist Movement in Kyrgyzstan". Journal of Religion and Violence. 9 (1): 70–71. doi:10.5840/jrv202141585. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Minority Rights Group International (July 2015). State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2015 (PDF). London. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-907919-63-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Kaktus Media (13 March 2019). "Митинг "Кырк Чоро" и три их главных требования властям. Видеотрансляция". Kaktus Media. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Freedom House (11 March 2016). "Freedom in the World 2016 - Kyrgyzstan". Refworld. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Asel Doolotkeldieva (24 February 2021). "Populism à la Kyrgyz: Sadyr Japarov, Nationalism, and Anti-Elite Sentiment in Kyrgyzstan". Illiberalism Studies Program. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Pete Baumgartner (16 March 2019). "Rainbow Rage: Kyrgyz Rail Against LGBT Community After Central Asia's 'First' Gay-Pride March". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ Mohira Suyarkulova (2 April 2020). ""Your traditions, our blood!": The struggle against patriarchal violence in Kyrgyzstan". openDemocracy. Retrieved 17 August 2024.