A Free Daughter of Free Kyrgyzstan

Zere Asylbek was 19 when she released a music video demanding respect for women in the largely conservative Kyrgyzstan. It was intentionally provocative, and Asylbek achieved what she set out to do: jolting the society into paying attention to the evils of the country’s deeply patriarchal and misogynist culture. Six years on, the death threats keep coming as Asylbek’s ever-steely resolve to usher in change only grows stronger.