Jokes Forbidden: Yet Another Controversial "Amendment" Passed by Kazakhstan Senators

• yards and adjacent territories;


• public places at cultural events;


• open festivals and street actions;


• temporary and informal spaces, such as street theater and performances.

• jokes;


• performances;


• satirical statements;


• profanity;


• various artistic and protest forms of self-expression.

• street performances may be banned;


• public irony or profanity may become grounds for intervention;


• cultural and artistic forms of self-expression may be threatened by pressure based on subjective assessments.

• artists and performers;


• stand-up comedians and satirists;


• street theaters and festivals;


• civic and cultural initiatives in public spaces.

“Despite the stated goals of prevention and public safety, the new law effectively changes the boundaries of acceptable state intervention: from responding to specific offenses to controlling the behavior and lifestyle of citizens.

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The creation of vague categories, such as 'antisocial behavior,' expands the list of public places and legalizes citizen participation in monitoring others, forming a parallel system of surveillance without the usual procedural guarantees.

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In this construct, a person becomes the object of attention not for breaking the law, but for 'improper' behavior. Decisions are made without judicial proceedings, based on evaluative criteria, which opens the way for arbitrary interference in private life and the use of prevention as a tool for control.

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Ultimately, the law does not so much prevent offenses as it normalizes the restriction of rights and undermines the principle that the state should intervene only in cases of law violations, not when someone dislikes another's behavior,” the expert conclusion states.