Document #1191482

RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)

Suspected Bride-Snatchers Arrested In Kyrgyzstan


By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service

November 20, 2014

Authorties in Kyrgyzstan have arrested 11 people on suspicion of bride-snatching, an offense that was rarely prosecuted in the past.

Bishkek city police said on November 20 that six men were arrested on the basis of a complaint by a 40-year-old woman in the capital who accused them of abducting her sister for a forced marriage.

Also on November 20, officials in the northern city of Tokmok said that five local residents had been arrested for allegedly abducting an 18-year-old woman for a forced marriage.

Rights activists say about 12,000 Kyrgyz women and girls are kidnapped and forced into marriage every year.

In 2012, the government launched a campaign against the traditional practice and increased the potential punishment to 10 years in prison.

Some 20 probes into cases related to bride-snatching were launched in Kyrgyzstan last year.

Copyright (c) 2010-2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

ecoi.net description:
Bishkek: 11 people arrested on suspicion of being involved in bride-snatching and forced marriage
Country:
Kyrgyzstan
Source:
RFE/RL – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Author)
Original link:
http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyz-bride-snatching-arrest-human-rights-bishkek-tokmok/26701289.html
Document type:
Media Report
Language:
English
Published:
20 November 2014
Document ID:
1191482 (former ID 290926)

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