A group of lawmakers in the parliament of Kazakhstan has given preliminary approval to a series of amendments that would ban LGBTQ+ “propaganda” online or in the media in the Central Asian country. As Reuters reports, repeat offenders of this ban could face up to 10 days in prison.

The amendments must be voted on by the full parliament and then signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in order for the discriminatory law to be enacted. They are expected to pass the vote in parliament and be signed by President Tokayev, who has previously been critical of LGBTQ+ rights and signed anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

If approved, Kazakhstan would follow in the footsteps of Russia, which criminalised the promotion of what the government deemed to be “LGBTQ+ propaganda” in 2013, extending the scope of the law in 2022.

In September 2025, a group of human rights organisations, including ILGA-Europe, the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organisation Against Torture, issued a statement urging Kazakhstan to withdraw plans to adopt anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

The statement cited reports from Kazakhstan’s government-run organisation, the National Endowment for Prosperity, which claimed that over 67% of their study’s respondents were in favour of “restricting LGBTQ+ propaganda”. However, the government body did not release the study publicly or provide details of their methodology.

The statement continued: “Moving forward with any proposed legislation banning so-called anti-LGBTI “propaganda” would significantly undermine the rights to freedom of expression, non-discrimination, and access to information in Kazakhstan.”

The human rights organisations urged the government and parliament of Kazakhstan to adhere to constitutional guarantees and the United Nations’ human rights obligations.

The groups also outlined how laws banning so-called LGBTQ+ propaganda violate international law and increase stigma, bullying and mental health risks for the LGBTQ+ community.

The statement further read: “The introduction of such a law would not protect children; it would harm them. It would not strengthen society; it would divide it. Kazakhstan has an opportunity to uphold its constitutional values and international obligations. We urge it to do so.”