Stolen Bride Kyrgyzstan

• Stolen Bride Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, nearly two-thirds of all marriages are the result ala kachuu ( "Hit and Run") and bride kidnapping. Around 15,000 women a year are victims of kidnapping their future husbands. Although this tradition since 1994 is illegal, she is also widely practiced, and the authorities often close their eyes to it. Of course, some are staged abduction, but we know that most of them take place against the will of the bride herself.

In Kyrgyzstan still alive old tradition of bride kidnapping. Over the centuries, it has lost the romantic flavor: their chosen brides are beaten, raped and forced into slave labor.

A man walks on a residential quarter with mountains in the background.

"Mayramgul, 19-year-old resident of the Kyrgyz village of Aksy, whose name her parents are asked not to call in the media, has only recently recovered from a broken leg and mental turmoil. The injury she received when she was trying to escape from the three drunken men, pursuing her rural street car "- says the Kyrgyz human rights defender Ilya Lukash.

Drove the victim to the angle between the driver knocked her home, after which Mayramgul dragged into a car and taken to the house of her future husband, whom she had seen for the first time. That same night she escaped through a window and walked with a broken about 10 km, returned home.

The older generation of the village at a table during a wedding.

"These pictures that resemble the Middle Ages" - commonplace for modern Kyrgyzstan, says Lukas. The tradition of bride kidnapping, which is preserved in many nations only as comic wedding ritual, in this country has evolved into a brutal and criminal fun.

"For example, you go in the bus - he saw a pretty girl, - says Lukasz. - Call your friends, "I'm such a girl looked closer, I want to steal it." When the woman gets off the bus, grab her in public, and no one reacts. " Thus, as in the famous Soviet comedy "The Prisoner of the Caucasus", the girl does not want to be kidnapped.

20-year-old Farid fights Tyhchykbekom who pulled her into a car with a friend to kidnap and force her family to give her to him. "I'll marry you. Just let me go now, "- she yells.

The girls were dragged into a car and driven to show the bride's parents Tyhchykbeka. In the same way there is a majority of abductions of young women in Kyrgyzstan. 80% of female prisoners are forced men to marry them, and only a few manage to escape from captivity. According to the Kyrgyz human rights organization Open line, one-fifth of brides attackers steal just for fun

18-year-old Aytilek in white headscarf. It is a symbol that she succumbed to her kidnapper's request to become his wife. A man kidnapped her on the next day after they met in Bishkek. Bride kidnapping is illegal, though, is still quite common in rural parts of Kyrgyzstan.

Unlike the movie, the real story does not end happy ending: the custom of the victims often become concubines and free labor in the house of the thief. Rampant poverty in the country only contributes to the spread of wild-Rite.

According to the Institute of the Kyrgyz Ombudsman studies each year in the country kidnapped about 8 thousand. Women, and most of them are abused and battered. 80% of its female prisoners are forced to marry men, and 20% manage to escape from captivity.

18-year-old and her husband Aytilek Baktiyaf, kidnapped her on the next day after they met in Bishkek.

However, according to the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry, only 159 girls abduction facts have been reported over the past 12 years, the police, and, according to police statistics, the criminal case is raised only in one out of 700 cases.

Lean statistics can be easily explained: most of the victims and their parents perceive a wild escapade as a folk tradition, not a crime, and in no hurry to apply to law enforcement authorities.

One of the yurts during the wedding ceremony.

18-year-old Bahtygul, a resident of the Chui region, who asked to say her name in the press, first saw her fiance, when she was taken to his house. Pre Bahtygul grabbed on the street and dragged by holding the arms and legs.

According to her, "betrothed", turned out to be twice her age, require consent to the marriage a few days, keeping the prisoner guarded by elderly accomplice - his relatives.

After a week of unsuccessful attempts to escape abduction of the bride was poisoned found in the house of potent pill. Was in intensive care in a coma, Bahtygul survived, but life remained disabled.

Bahtygul drove to her parents from the hospital frightened the thief, and a year later married someone else and had already managed to have children. "He remained unpunished, - complains the victim - before the kidnapping I was a young man, whom I wanted to marry. But now I'm no use to anybody. "

22-year-old bride Dinara in a scarf - a symbol of marriage. Dinara kidnapped Ahmad, who wanted to marry her. 5:00 him, she refused, but then agreed. "I'm not very well known and Ahmad did not want to stay here," - says Dinara.

The next day, after Dinara accepted the offer Achmat Achmat relatives gathered to pray for a wedding in the house of her family.

Family and friends Dinara help her to wear a veil on their wedding day.

Dinar and Ahmad pray at the wedding.

In the morning before the wedding, 24-year-old Ahmad - the groom - drags the sheep, prepared especially for the occasion. "I was looking for the right woman for a year and have been to many places, but have not found the most. I saw dinars for 10 days before it kidnapped in the market. Then the thought that I wanted to marry her. "

Mom (sitting right), sister (center) and Guy (left) Urus Kasimbay mourn at her grave. Urus commit suicide after her stolen Seitbek Imonakunov. He was sentenced to six years in prison for kidnapping and raping a girl.

Figure couple in traditional Kyrgyz costumes.

By Ala-kachuu - the tradition of stealing the bride - in the old days in Kyrgyzstan have resorted mainly poor young people - those who were unable to pay the bride price, ie purchase of the bride's parents, historians tell us. Another category - grooms have influential relatives, but who wish to marry a girl from a poor class. Kidnapping was a way to give a kind of legalized marriage.

In both cases, the rite looked quite decent and even beautiful: the bride dressed in the best clothes, she had to go out to meet the bridegroom itself - for example, for water to the creek, where she was waiting for kunaks groom. Parents on both sides knew in advance about the upcoming ceremony.

In Soviet times, the custom of forgotten, and with the collapse of the USSR and the awakening of the national spirit of the ritual again came into use, albeit in a distorted form. However, the layer of the Kyrgyz involved in the hunt for women, has remained the same - it is usually not rich people, emphasize local human rights activists.

The history teacher in high school 24-year-old Ahmad Kasimbaev (right) and his friends devise a plan to kidnap 22-year-old Dinara on the way to her house.

According to the Central Institute CAFMI free market in Kyrgyzstan today to 20% of the unemployed (officially - just 8%), while the poverty rate is 36, 8%. For comparison, in Ukraine - 14%, Russia - 13%, the Czech Republic - 9%.

The large mass of young people who are neither in school nor employed, are concentrated in rural areas - both in the mountains and around the major cities. Many have small homes, but they live only by their private households. A wife for this marginal contingent only means to get a free pair of hands.

"In the spring the girls finish school, and families look for potential suitors already, who will feed the cattle and do homework," - says Rimma Sultanova, monitoring Kyrgyz Service Center specialist women.

20-year-old Farida next to his brother, who had come to save her family from the men who kidnapped her on the streets of Naryn.

"If my sister wants to stay here, I will not stop her. But look at her, she cries and says he wants to leave. So I take her home, "- so called the young man failed to relatives of the groom. In the end, he managed to take his sister with him. Each year, about 16,000 women marry their captors. In Soviet times, this tradition of abduction was practiced less than it is now, then usually the parents arranged marriages for their children.

Relatives of 26-year-old Tyhchykbeka waiting for him at the tent after he kidnapped student Farid, which intends to marry. Before the kidnap, he met the girl twice. Older sister Tyhchykbeka persuaded Farid to marry him while they were driving in the car, which Farid dragged by force.

Although the results of the poll of another local human rights organization Open line, one-fifth of men steal brides just for fun, and if they have families, more than half of them fall in the first year of marriage.

High season catching the brides in Kyrgyzstan in the spring and autumn - traditionally this period the growth in the number of official marriages in the country.

Relatives of 26-year-old Farid Tyhchykbeka lead into the tent after the abduction.

And the wedding and restriction of human freedom in the minds of many Kyrgyz - are inseparable concepts, and the disappearance of a woman in front of everyone usually does not protest. Thus, in December 2012, human rights activists Open line simulated kidnapping in the center of Bishkek, near the building of the Philharmonic. Two young men were pulling "bride" to the car, "the victim" cried out for help, and, moreover, that there were many people around, no one thought to intervene, even though the girl turned emphasized hard and rough.

The older cousin of the groom tries to convince the 20-year-old Farid marry him.

"Such a low threshold of criticality to such actions in others laid in the national character," - says Anna Lyanna, a psychologist specializing in violence against women. According to her, the appropriate education of boys receive many Kyrgyz families.

26-year-old Tyhchykbek relatives are trying to persuade the 20-year-old Farid marry him. "I promise that you will be happy in the future, so please, marry me", - he says. She replies: "How could you kidnap me? You know that I have a boyfriend. Even if I marry you, love between us will not. "

18-year-old Cholpon sitting behind the curtain waiting for the guests at the wedding. Two days earlier, her kidnapped Aman. Cholpon Haman saw before, but they never even talked.

"When I was brought here, I refused to 6 hours. But Kyrgyz women, if you walked into the house of the man, leave rough, besides, older woman tried to persuade me to stay. Our tradition - to respect their elders. So I finally gave in. "

18-year-old Cholpon and her future husband, Aman pray during a wedding ceremony.

18-year-old Cholpon in their new home - the home of her new husband Aman.

The newlyweds Cholpon and Aman.

22-year-old Dinara opposed to what the older person cousin, kidnapped her, trying to put on a girl a white handkerchief. Handkerchief indicates that she gave up and ready to get married. After 3 hours, she finally gave up and called her parents to say that he would remain with Ahmad. The same evening Dinara back to his home. The next day, Ahmad gave her a ring and brought back to his home.

The newlyweds Ahmad Dinar and having fun in her room the first week of their life together.

Dinara break from household chores in the kitchen in the first week of married life with Ahmad.

The bride Dinara in the house of her husband.

26-year-old Elvira Kasymov with his 2-year-old daughter Adinay. Due to domestic violence, she left her husband's home Azamat and now lives with her parents. Azamat taxi driver kidnapped her in 2004. He brought the girl to his home and forcibly held her there, leading to marriage. Kasymov said that it urged to stay with the bride and relatives Azamat. On leaving the house, they scattered bread crusts - traditionally stepped on bread brings a curse.

"I have never met Azamat did not want to marry him, but his older cousin continued to persuade me. Kyrgyzstan is considered rude to step over hospitality, and if a woman went to the house of the man, it is no longer considered to be clean. Therefore, to avoid scandal, I gave up. Now, when I left her husband's house, I started to go to medical college. I want a divorce, and in the future to become a physician. "

The oldest couple in the village of Salou. 83-year-old Eschen and his 82-year-old wife Tursun. Eschen Tursun kidnapped in September 1954. "We do not like the modern way of bride kidnapping, - they say. - We know each other and exchanged letters with declarations of love before the abduction. Now the young people are simply abducted girls, and it's not our tradition. Today's non-consensual kidnapping - a fashionable trick. "

The judge Sabir Sudanbekov checks documents at the hearing.

The expert concludes that the illiterate villagers are not familiar with the laws, and not only do not realize the gravity of these crimes, but they are covered indirectly. Thus, according to the story of human rights activist, a mother of a girl who ran away from the groom's house, I met her and slaps with the words: "You brought shame on our family this flight." She refused to accept his daughter, who had escaped from intruders, and forced her to go back to the groom's house. Meanwhile, the Kyrgyz Criminal Code provides for even a separate article for the abduction of a woman to marry against her will. Until recently, she had expected the maximum penalty - three years in prison. Since 2013th life is extended up to seven years, and if the victim is a minor, - up to ten years. However, as before, and now the kidnappers brides rarely get behind bars.

34-year-old defendant Seitbek Imonakunov. He kidnapped Urus Kasymbay and even two days after that, the family took her back, she hanged herself in the courtyard the next morning. Seytbekov sentenced to six years in prison for kidnapping and rape.

Dinarkul holds a picture of his 19-year-old daughter Kasymbay Urus, who committed suicide after she was kidnapped. Urus studied at the journalist, and she had a boyfriend, whom she wanted to marry. He kidnapped her 34-year-old stranger, but two days later her family was able to free her. Yet the next day, the girl committed suicide. "My daughter was a very intelligent and cheerful. I am against the kidnapping of brides in Kyrgyzstan ", - says her mother.