Photo: senate.parlam.kz
Kazakhstan’s Senate, the upper house of parliament, has approved in its second and final reading a law banning the “propaganda of LGBT” (a movement designated as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), Tengrinews.kz reported.
The provision was included in the law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Archival Affairs and the Restriction of the Dissemination of Unlawful Content.” Initially, the amendment was expected to be part of the draft law “On Mass Media,” but it was removed ahead of the second reading and ultimately incorporated into the bill on archival affairs.
The legislation introduces amendments to the Labor Code as well as to 12 other laws. It restricts the placement in public spaces, as well as in the media and on social networks, of information deemed to promote pedophilia and non-traditional sexual orientation.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Information, Yevgeny Kochetov, said that the dissemination of unlawful content—under which the adopted law classifies the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations—could result in a fine of about $140. For repeat offenses, the fine would be doubled, or the offender could face administrative detention for up to 10 days.
Kochetov also clarified that “propaganda” is defined as a “positive assessment.”
“The expected outcome of adopting the law is to protect the consciousness of the younger generation from unlawful content,” Senator Nurtore Zhusip said at today’s Senate session.
Previously, a number of public organizations spoke out against the law. For his part, the European Union’s Special Representative for Central Asia, Eduards Stiprais, warned that the adoption of the document could pose “reputational risks” for Kazakhstan.
