The Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, has approved a draft law banning the «propaganda of LGBT» and pedophilia.
«The draft law enshrines measures aimed at protecting children from exposure to content detrimental to their mental health and physical development. The dissemination of information containing propaganda of pedophilia and non-traditional sexual orientation in public, as well as through the media, telecommunication networks and online platforms, is prohibited,» the parliament said in a statement.
MP Elnur Beisenbayev explained that the bill proposes amendments to laws related to the rights of children, advertising, communications, culture, education, cinema, media and online platforms.
If the document is approved by the Senate and signed by the president, all relevant legislation will include a clear definition of «propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation,» prohibiting its dissemination in the media, on the internet and via telecommunication channels.
According to Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Yevgeny Kochetov, from the government’s point of view, LGBT propaganda is any form of «encouragement of a positive public assessment of non-traditional sexual orientation.»
«When someone says that some people are better than others and that it’s good to be like this and bad to be like that, all of these are elements of such propaganda. Anything promoting a positive public assessment [of LGBT] will be considered propaganda. If someone simply mentions, reports, or provides statistics on the topic, this is not propaganda,» he emphasized.
Commenting on criticism from international human rights organizations urging the Mazhilis not to adopt the amendments, MP Nikita Shatalov said any external pressure is unacceptable.
«No one can impose their point of view on us through information pressure. It’s nonsense. As for alleged violations of international obligations, these organizations themselves are violating international practice by trying to pressure us. This is unacceptable,» he stated.
At the same time, Shatalov stressed that there is no place for any kind of persecution that contradicts Kazakhstan’s constitution.
