Kyrgyz activist Altyn Kapalova wrote on Facebook on July 2 that the Constitutional Court had ordered the government to legalize matronymic names following her long-running battle to allow children to choose to use their mother's name instead of their father's as part of their full legal names in documents. The legislation would allow children to choose which of their parents' names to use when they reach 16. Kapalova, a single mother of several children, has fought for the change for years.
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.