Trans woman from Kyrgyzstan spent six months in detention in Krasnodar

On January 31, 2025, a trans woman from Kyrgyzstan was detained in Krasnodar for violating residency rules in Russia. She had been unable to renew her residence permit due to fears of returning to her home country because of her transgender identity. This was reported by the Trans Coalition. 

The court ordered her deportation, but due to documentation issues — her passport listed a male gender marker — she was placed in a detention center. According to the woman, representatives of the Kyrgyz embassy doubted her identity because of her appearance and hormone therapy: “They thought it wasn’t me.”

It was only after four months that she managed to contact a human rights defender and international organizations, who helped her find a lawyer. While in detention, she developed stomach problems due to the food. After being hospitalized, activists submitted appeals to the Kyrgyz consul in Krasnodar, who then got involved in the case.

Eventually, the court issued a deportation order, but the embassy still demanded additional photo identification despite her identity already being confirmed via fingerprints. In the end, the human rights defender found people who could verify her identity, and on June 16 she was allowed to leave Russia.

On June 17, she was transported to Moscow. According to her, she was not allowed to use the restroom, was not fed, and was treated harshly during transit. On June 18 at 10:30 a.m., she informed the human rights defender that she had flown to Kyrgyzstan.

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