Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee won’t probe attacks on anti-LGBTQ lawmakers

Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB) has refused to investigate alleged information attacks against anti-LGBTQ members of parliament, according to KNB Chairman Yermek Sagimbayev’s response to a parliamentary inquiry.

Sagimbayev stated that the articles of the Criminal Code related to insults against MPs and information attacks do not fall under the KNB’s jurisdiction.

Earlier, a group of lawmakers from the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, claimed that their colleagues who had proposed banning «LGBTQ propaganda» had been subjected to insults and online attacks. In response, they called on the KNB to prosecute those responsible.

Additionally, MP Yedil Zhanbyrshin argued that a petition calling for a ban on LGBTQ propaganda, which gathered 50,000 signatures, should be fully implemented. However, Sagimbayev noted that the final decision had already been made: the Ministry of Culture and Information had partially granted the petition’s demands.

Notably, Zhanbyrshin, who initiated the parliamentary inquiry, referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing only two genders.

The petition, launched in May 2024 on the Epetition.kz portal, was authored by Bagilya Baltabayeva, a social activist and chair of the Parents’ Union of Kazakhstan. Baltabayeva has frequently criticized feminists and accused them of promoting LGBTQ narratives and «non-traditional values.»

In August, the petition received support from officials at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Healthcare and the Ministry of Education. However, it was only partially approved, with authorities restricting only the distribution of sexualized content to children.