International NGOs target Kazakhstan over anti-LGBT bill

International NGOs have called on Kazakhstan’s parliament to reject proposed amendments they say violate freedom of expression and reinforce discrimination.

Seven major international human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Defenders, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, have urged lawmakers to drop the bill banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual orientation,” Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

According to them, the amendments threaten free speech and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, as they were added after the first reading on September 17 and have nothing to do with the original draft law on archives.

“The changes, if adopted, will amend laws on the rights of the child, mass media, online platforms, advertising, communications, culture, and education, and enable authorities to suspend access to websites and digital content without a court order,” the statement reads.

The law will empower authorities to block websites without a court order and impose administrative sanctions, including fines and up to ten days of arrest.

Human rights defenders note that the wording closely mirrors Russia’s 2013 law.

Propaganda is defined as any dissemination of information about nontraditional orientation among an undefined audience, even in distorted form, if the goal is to create a positive image. 

The amendments were proposed by 15 deputies and supported by the ministries of culture and information, internal affairs, health, and education, as well as by the government.

A closed meeting with journalists and NGOs was moderated by Yelnur Beisenbayev from the Amanat party.

The text of the draft law will be published only after its adoption.

Human rights groups recalled that on September 3, the UN Human Rights Committee urged Kazakhstan to combat discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

The Committee Against Torture had earlier expressed concern over violence based on sexual orientation and called for the protection of vulnerable groups.

In practice, the organisations emphasise, LGBTQ+ individuals in Kazakhstan continue to face assaults, threats, extortion, and violence from both police and private individuals. 

By Jeyhun Aghazada