President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law that amends a number of legislative acts of Kazakhstan concerning archival affairs and the restriction of the dissemination of illegal content, as reported by the press service of Akorda.
This law introduces restrictions on the placement of information related to the promotion of pedophilia and non-traditional sexual orientation in public places, mass media, telecommunications networks, and internet platforms. As the senators pointed out, the main goal of this law is to protect children's rights.
On November 12, the Mazhilis approved a law that imposes a ban on LGBT propaganda in Kazakhstan. After the law comes into effect, relevant content will be marked with an age restriction of 18+. The Senate was scheduled to consider this law on December 4, but it was removed from the agenda due to the need for additional discussion of certain provisions.
The Ministry of Culture noted that they studied international experience and found no evidence to support concerns that such norms could lead to an increase in aggression or social isolation towards certain groups. Deputy Minister Yevgeny Kochetov added that stricter restrictions have been introduced in other countries, but this did not provoke the negative reactions that critics of the amendments point to.
The Senate approved the law banning LGBT propaganda in Kazakhstan on December 18.
