Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed legislation introducing criminal liability for stalking and bride kidnapping, according to a statement from the Akorda press service.
The bill includes four sets of amendments aimed at improving Kazakhstan’s criminal and penal legislation. It is expected to be published in print in the coming days.
Notably, the law provides, for the first time, a legal definition of “stalking”: unlawful pursuit of an individual, expressed through actions aimed at establishing contact and/or tracking a person against their will, not involving violence but causing significant harm. Deputy Prosecutor General Aset Chindaliyev previously stated that such acts would be punishable by a fine or up to 90 days of arrest.
The same bill also amends the Criminal Code to criminalize bride kidnapping, under the new article titled “Coercion into Marriage.” Depending on the severity of the crime, punishments may include a fine, community service, restrictions on freedom, or imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Until now, individuals involved in such cases were typically prosecuted under the article on abduction, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years. However, that article includes a clause stating that a perpetrator who voluntarily releases the abductee is not subject to prosecution, provided no other criminal offense was committed.
The amendments were passed by the lower house of parliament in late May and approved by the Senate in June.
