The lower house of the Kazakh parliament has passed a law banning “LGBT propaganda“ online or in the media, Reuters reports, News.bg reports.
Violators can be fined, and repeat offenders can be imprisoned for up to 10 days.
The legislation resembles laws adopted in other countries such as Russia, Georgia and Hungary. The next step is for the bill to be sent to the Kazakh Senate, where it is likely to be approved.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whose signature is needed for the final legalization of the ban, has repeatedly emphasized in recent months the need to uphold “traditional values“. Lawmakers in parliament, controlled by parties loyal to Tokayev, voted unanimously in favor of the ban.
Human rights groups have warned against the law. The Belgium-based International Partnership for Human Rights said it would be a flagrant violation of Kazakhstan’s international human rights commitments.
Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority but largely secular country, legalized homosexuality in the 1990s, although public attitudes remain deeply conservative.
Kazakhstan’s Education Minister Gani Beisembayev supported the bill, saying: “Children and teenagers are exposed to information on the Internet every day that can negatively affect their ideas about family, morality and the future.”