Lawmakers in Kazakhstan are being urged to reject proposed amendments to a draft law on archival affairs that would ban “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation,” according to seven international human rights groups. The amendments, if adopted, would violate fundamental human rights and further marginalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and other queer (LGBTIQ+) people in Kazakhstan. The lower house of parliament is expected to vote on the draft law and amendments as early as November 12, 2025.
The proposed amendments would contravene Kazakhstan’s international human rights obligations, including the rights of children to education, health, and information. Human rights groups have noted that discriminatory provisions such as these have no place in democratic societies, which Kazakhstan claims to aspire to be. The anti-LGBTIQ+ clauses were added after the first reading of the archival affairs bill on September 17, 2025, and are unrelated to archival issues.
The amendments, proposed by 15 deputies from multiple political parties, were discussed in a meeting on October 29 under the Ministry of Culture and Information, where selected civil society representatives and journalists were invited but not permitted to comment. The provisions would make “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation” an administrative offense, punishable by detention of up to 10 days and fines, closely mirroring Russia’s 2013 “LGBT propaganda” law. Authorities could suspend access to websites and digital content without a court order, and any public dissemination or support of LGBTIQ+ topics could trigger administrative charges.
Human rights groups emphasize that the amendments contradict repeated calls by UN bodies for Kazakhstan to uphold LGBTIQ+ rights. In 2023, the UN Committee against Torture expressed concern over violence targeting people based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and the UN Human Rights Committee in September 2025 urged Kazakhstan to combat discrimination and reinforce legal protections for LGBTIQ+ persons. Despite these obligations, Kazakhstan lacks legal protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and NGOs supporting LGBTIQ+ rights have been denied registration.
LGBTIQ+ people in Kazakhstan face violence, threats, blackmail, extortion, and discrimination from both law enforcement and nonstate actors, often with impunity. Human rights groups have called on Kazakhstan’s international partners to publicly condemn the proposed amendments and urge lawmakers to withdraw these harmful provisions. They stressed that authorities should work with human rights organizations and activists to strengthen protections and uphold the constitutional rights to freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination.
The groups concluded that it is not too late for Kazakhstan to abandon these abusive amendments and ensure that the rights and safety of LGBTIQ+ people are respected, rather than undermined, in the legislative process.
