Kazakhstan to penalise face-covering clothing under new bill

Kazakhstan is set to introduce penalties for wearing clothing that covers the face and prevents identification, including the niqab.

The Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament, announced that the proposed legislation would issue a formal warning for a first offense. Repeat violations would result in a fine of 10 monthly calculation indices — equivalent to 3,932 tenge in 2025, or roughly $8.50, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakh media. 

The bill, adopted in its second reading and titled "On the Prevention of Offenses," also outlines new liability measures for posting or distributing illegal content, as well as for deliberately ignoring instructions issued by state authorities.

Lawmakers expanded the list of bodies responsible for prevention work from 13 to 26. The newly added entities include family support centres, mobile groups, guardianship services, media organisations, youth affairs institutions, authorised state bodies, and entrepreneurs.

Additional amendments target officials in state and local executive bodies. Under the revised rules, failure to comply with civil protection measures related to the prevention of natural or man-made emergencies may now be subject to prosecution. The Ministry of Emergency Situations will be authorised to detain violators.

By Sabina Mammadli