Kyrgyz Constitutional Court Legalizes Matronymic Names Following Activist's Battle

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.