Roza Aitmatova, the younger sister of the celebrated writer Chingiz Aitmatov and a prominent public figure in her own right, has died at the age of 89. The writer's foundation announced her death, according to infohub.kz.
The announcement was posted on the Instagram page of the Chingiz Aitmatov Foundation. "It is with deep sorrow that we report the passing of Roza Aitmatova at the age of 89. The bright memory of Roza Torokulovna will forever remain in our hearts," the foundation said.
According to 24kg, Roza Aitmatova held a candidate degree in physics and mathematics and was a honored education worker of Kyrgyzstan and a public figure. She graduated from the Mayakovsky Kyrgyz Women's Pedagogical Institute, worked as a researcher at the Academy of Sciences of the Kirghiz SSR and later taught at a university. She was the author of scholarly works on physics and pedagogy.
Roza Aitmatova also worked to preserve her family's history. Together with her nephew Asan Akhmatov, she co-wrote the book "White Pages of History," about the life and work of their father, Torokul Aitmatov, who was repressed in the 1930s, and about Chingiz Aitmatov's childhood.
Roza Torokulovna devoted much of her life to defending women's rights. In 1996, she and colleagues founded the public organization Women's Assistance Center.