ASTANA, December 18. /TASS/. The Senate (upper house) of the Kazakh parliament has approved, in its second and final reading, a law banning LGBT propaganda (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) and pedophilia propaganda citing the need to protect children from such content, a TASS correspondent reported after the law was adopted at a plenary session.
The prohibition provisions are included in the law "On Introducing Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Issues of Archival Affairs and Limiting the Distribution of Illegal Content." The law was passed in response to a citizen’s initiative that started a year and a half ago demanding a ban on LGBT propaganda.
Earlier, the Majilis (lower house) of the Kazakh parliament approved amendments restricting LGBT propaganda. The Senate had initially planned to consider the amendments on December 4, but then the document was removed from the agenda of the plenary session. According to the Senate press service, it was placed on the docket for December 18 because a number of other acts needed to be amended to allow for the passing of the LGBT law.
According to the Senate Committee on Social and Cultural Development, the law "provides for restrictions on the dissemination of information promoting pedophilia and non-traditional sexual orientation in public spaces, as well as through the media, telecommunications networks, and online platforms." The second part of the law is devoted to preserving Kazakhstan’s National Archival Fund, historical heritage, and cultural heritage, as well as increasing the proportion of digitized documents.
Kazakh Deputy Culture and Information Minister Yevgeny Kochetov previously reported that disseminating illegal content - which the adopted law defines as propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations - could result in a fine of approximately 140 dollars, double that amount for a repeat offense, or administrative arrest for up to ten days.
The country’s authorities noted that the new regulations do not restrict people's rights and are necessary to protect children's psyches from this type of information. Various public organizations opposed the law. EU diplomats said there were "reputational risks" for Kazakhstan if the law was adopted and expressed concern. It will take effect once it is signed by the president.