GENEVA - A bill to ban so-called "LGBT propaganda" in Kazakhstan's Parliament would entrench stigma, outlaw expression, and contravene international human rights obligations, UN experts* warned today.
On 12 November, the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) unanimously adopted proposed legislative amendments prohibiting the "dissemination of information containing propaganda of non‑traditional sexual orientation and paedophilia" in media and online spaces. The bill has been forwarded to the Senate for further consideration. According to civil society sources, the debate and vote on the amendments lasted only 15 minutes, without any objections, abstentions, or consideration of the appeals by civil society members, UN mechanisms and others, to abandon the proposal.
"The draft law is based on disinformation, spuriously equating so-called 'non‑traditional sexual orientation' with paedophilia, which is an affront to human dignity," the experts said. "Protection of children is not advanced by censorship, exclusion and vilifying minorities, but by equitable and inclusive education, access to information, measures that ensure equality and non-discrimination and the affirmation of all human rights of all persons."
The latest amendments would introduce an administrative offence for "propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation and paedophilia," punishable by fines or short detention. They would also redefine "propaganda" in the Law on the Rights of the Child and replicate similar restrictions across multiple laws, including those on media, education, culture, and online platforms.
The origins of the current proposal were the subject of previous communications by the experts.
"We expressed concern over an official petition titled 'We Are against Open and Hidden LGBT Propaganda in Kazakhstan!', launched through a State-run platform and supported by public-sector mobilisation," they said.
The experts warned at the time that the content of the petition content contravened Kazakhstan's own Administrative Procedural Code, which bars initiatives that may violate individual rights or address criminal or administrative-offences legislation.
The experts have received reports that teachers, doctors, and other State employees were pressured to sign the petition, while opponents faced police intimidation. They also cited police raids on private events in Astana and repeated denials of assembly permits for feminist and LGBT groups on International Women's Day.
"These developments, taken together, reveal a pattern of shrinking civic space and growing institutional hostility toward sexual and gender minorities," the experts said. "Transforming a discriminatory petition into law would give legal sanction to prejudice, further isolate vulnerable communities, and erode fundamental human rights."
"Every person, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, has the right to seek, receive and impart information without interference," they said. "Outlawing that expression violates the universality of human rights and undermines Kazakhstan's own commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child."
They urged Kazakhstan to reject the proposed amendments and ensure that any new legislation complies with international human rights standards.
"The authorities must protect LGBT persons and human rights defenders from discrimination and reprisals, foster dialogue with civil society and promote understanding and respect for diversity," they said.
