Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed into law a controversial package of amendments banning “LGBT propaganda” on December 30, sparking immediate concern from human rights advocates both domestically and internationally.

The legislation modifies the country’s 2002 children’s rights law to prohibit the “dissemination of information about non-traditional sexual orientation,” particularly content aiming to form “a positive societal opinion” of LGBT people. The ban extends across multiple sectors, including culture, education, advertising, mass media, and cinema.

Violations carry penalties starting at approximately $150, with repeat offenders facing steeper fines and up to 10 days of administrative detention, according to Vice Minister of Culture Yevgeniy Kochetov.

Supporters frame the legislation as necessary child protection. “The most important thing is that the ban is on the internet and social media. We know ourselves that children don’t have fully developed minds,” said Maksutbek Aitmaganbet from the Union of Fathers civil society group during a December television interview.

Critics, however, view the amendments as a fundamental attack on human rights. “Any attempt to ban visibility, discussion or support of LGBT people is not the defence of traditional values, it’s a rejection of elementary human rights,” said gay rights activist Abdel Mukhtarov at a press conference in Almaty.

The legislation bears striking similarities to Russia’s 2013 law banning LGBT “propaganda,” prompting Kazakh human rights lawyer Tatiana Chernobil to observe, “This is too much of a coincidence, it seems, to be accidental.”

The ban moved swiftly through Kazakhstan’s parliament, passing the Majilis (lower house) in November before clearing the Senate in December with minimal opposition. Notably, the Senate vote was reportedly delayed to avoid coinciding with EU Council President Antonio Costa’s visit to Astana in early December, suggesting awareness of potential international criticism.

While Tokayev has not directly commented on the new law, he expressed criticism of homosexuality in a March speech to the National Kurultai, a gathering of civil society and traditional leaders. “For decades many countries have had so-called democratic moral values foisted on them, including LGBT,” he stated.

The amendments originated from a 2024 citizens’ petition that garnered over 50,000 signatures calling for an end to “open and hidden LGBT propaganda.” However, an expert committee from the Ministry of Health that studied the impact of LGBT community activities on young people initially found no evidence of negative influence.

“Rather, according to our research, the influence of the LGBT movement on the sexual identity of minors has a positive character. Teenagers belonging to [sexual] minorities can learn about their rights, receive support and avoid isolation,” stated the committee’s report, which was subsequently deleted from the ministry’s website around the time the bill was initiated.

Rights advocates point to the legislation’s vague definition of “propaganda” as particularly troubling, arguing it could eliminate all positive or neutral representations of LGBT people while making community advocacy virtually impossible.

An official from the Ministry of Health told a parliamentary working group in October that “LGBT strongly influences the formation of non-traditional values among minors” and could negatively impact demographics, despite the ministry’s own earlier findings to the contrary.

Compounding concerns, Tokayev simultaneously signed a separate bill empowering citizen volunteers to enforce public order and introducing the concept of “anti-societal actions” that “violate generally accepted standards of behaviour and morality.” Critics fear this could lead to vigilantism, particularly targeting LGBT individuals.

“Any guesswork or any complaint, we’re turning it into a government denunciation,” warned Zhanar Sekerbayeva, a leader of the queer-feminist initiative Feminita.

The legislation has drawn strong criticism from UN and EU officials, highlighting Kazakhstan’s increasingly complex balancing act between maintaining relationships with Western partners and aligning with more conservative regional policies, particularly those of neighboring Russia.

Rights activists have vowed to challenge the new ban in court, setting the stage for a prolonged legal battle over LGBT rights in Central Asia’s largest economy.