Kazakh Ministry rejects petition on restrictions on LBTQ+ rights
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture rejects a petition calling for LGBTQ+ people to be protected
10.12.2025
Article published on the rus.azattyq.org website
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information has rejected a petition on “We oppose laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people”, which appeared on the Epetition platform on 17 November. The Ministry explained its decision by stating that the petition cannot address issues enshrined under Article 90-2 of the Administrative Procedures Code (APC).
“According to sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph two of Article 90-2, the petition had to include the person’s surname, first name, patronymic (if specified in the identity document), individual identification number, place of residence and e-mail address. The LGBTQ+ petition didn’t include residence or e-mail details, says the media outlet Vlast.kz.
The Culture Ministry also stated that a bill on “banning LGBT propaganda” has already been approved by the Majilis and sent to the Senate.
“Moreover, under current Kazakh legislation, the head of a State agency does not have the power to make decisions that amend laws passed by parliament”, says the Ministry.
In their public response to the Government’s decision, the organisations QUEER KZ, Feminita and the Education Community stated that the petition fully complied with the requirements of Article 90-2 of the APC.
“But the Culture and Information Ministry rejected it on the formal pretext that the applicant’s place of residence and e-mail address were not included, along with the claim that our petition allegedly “poses a threat to the country’s constitution and public order”, said the LGBT activists.
They also said that the Ministry’s refusal is clearly politically motivated and discriminatory on sexual orientation and gender identity grounds.
“The Ministry is restricting the rights of the LGBT community to participate in public life, preventing open discussion of the law and denying LGBTQ+ organisations the chance to legally express their views. We will not put up with such bigoted and discriminatory treatment. We will appeal against the Ministry’s decision and demand transparency, legality and the equal participation of citizens in Government initiatives”, said the organisations in a joint statement.
On 17 November, QUEER KZ, Feminita and the Education Community started a petition on the Epetition platform against the adoption of a national law on “banning LGBT propaganda”. In the text, the authors stated that no external political models can determine the limits, rights and freedom of our citizens and that the law is unrelated to the protection of children. They also said that, under the pretext of the law, the Government is exacerbating social tensions, resulting in the persecution of the LGBT community and is contrary to Kazakhstan’s Constitution.
On 12 November, the Majilis (lower house) of parliament agreed amendments to the legislation on “banning propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation” despite calls from human rights activists to reject the discriminatory bill. International human rights activists have criticised the bill, arguing that it violates human rights and could lead to the punishment and persecution of members of the LGBT community.
The amendments were due to be debated by the Senate on 4 December. However, the visit of Aleska Simkic, the EU’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, for talks with Deputy Speaker Zhakip Asanov and other deputies meant that discussion of the proposed changes would be deferred until the 18th.. According to the Senate’s press service, the parties covered a wide range of issues, from political dialogue to economic cooperation and the regional agenda.
According to BES.media, there were only two items on the Senate’s revised agenda, namely amendments to the Code on Sub-Soil Resources and Use, as well as changes to certain regulations on administrative justice, rule-making and legal aid.
