The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, signed today the legal amendments that prohibit LGBT propaganda in the Central Asian country, following the example of previously taken measures in Russia and Georgia, according to Akorda, the Kazakh presidency. The corresponding bill had already been approved by both chambers of the Kazakh legislature. The explanatory documents indicate that the purpose of the amendments, which also prohibit the promotion of pedophilia, is to protect children from information that harms their health and development. The new norm prohibits the publication of this type of information in public spaces, the press, telecommunication networks, and the internet. This law was presented after a request made by Kazakh citizens a year and a half ago and was drafted by a group of the country's parliamentarians. As previously commented by deputy Yelnur Beisenbayev, one of the promoters of the project, "these amendments modify nine laws, including those on children's rights, advertising, communications, culture, education, cinema, and the press." He explained that it includes a precise definition of 'the promotion of non-traditional sexual orientation' and establishes limitations for its dissemination, but clarified that it does not provide for the 'prohibition' or 'rejection' of people who belong to the LGBT community. "Our laws do not prohibit belonging to the LGBT community. Only LGBT propaganda is prohibited," said deputy Yedil Zabirshin in turn, who recalled that in neighboring Uzbekistan, belonging to the LGBT community is punished. Criticism International bodies such as the UN, Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Defenders, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee had previously criticized Kazakhstan's intentions to pass this law, just as they did in the Russian and Georgian cases. Russia passed the law prohibiting 'the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations,' pedophilia, and gender reassignment in the media, the internet, advertising, literature, and cinema in December 2022. Georgia followed Russia's footsteps in October 2024, claiming that this law, which establishes penalties of up to 4 years in prison for sex reassignment surgeries and a fine of up to 4,000 lari (about 1,500 dollars) for disseminating homosexual propaganda in educational institutions, 'defends the most important values: family and children.'
