Kazakhstan is moving to adopt legislation that mirrors Russia’s controversial anti-LGBTQ+ laws, sparking alarm from human rights groups and LGBTQ+ advocates.
On Wednesday, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament, the Mäjilis, advanced a bill that would ban the “dissemination of information containing propaganda of pedophilia and/or non-traditional sexual orientation” in public spaces, media, and online.
Framed as a measure to “protect children from content harmful to their health and development,” the legislation would still need approval from the Senate to become law. However, the ruling party of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, currently in Moscow for discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, dominates both chambers.
Kazakhstan, a close ally of Russia in Central Asia, is widely seen as aligning more closely with Moscow’s hardline stance on LGBTQ+ issues. In 2022, Russia expanded its own ban on so-called LGBTQ “propaganda,” prohibiting any public expression that could be interpreted as promoting or normalising same-sex relationships.
Kazakh LGBTQ+ activists and rights groups have strongly condemned the proposed legislation.
“Are we an independent and sovereign republic, or are we a colony of the Russian Federation?” asked activist Zhanar Sekerbayeva during a press conference last week. “As an educated and intelligent woman… I cannot understand why (lawmakers) allow themselves to violate the fundamental law of the constitution.”
“Institutionalising Stigma and Censorship”
Seven international human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, issued a joint statement ahead of the vote, warning that the proposed ban would violate Kazakhstan’s international human rights obligations, including protections for children’s right to education, information, and health.
Marie Struthers, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director at Amnesty International, called the bill a “deliberate attempt to institutionalise stigma, fear, and censorship.”
“If the Kazakhstani authorities truly want to protect and nurture young people, they should rebuff this harmful initiative and instead reaffirm the country’s commitment to human rights and principles of non-discrimination already enshrined in the constitution and other binding legislation,” Struthers said.
The EuroCentralAsian Lesbian Community* also condemned the legislation, calling it a “deliberate attempt to dehumanise our communities, justify discrimination, and open the door to further repression.”
“These narratives echo the most harmful pro-Russian ultraconservative rhetoric spreading across the region,” the group said.
As Kazakhstan appears to follow Russia’s example, global concern continues to grow over the spread of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and policies throughout the region.
