startnewlife Mendee CIC · London

🏳️‍🌈 Are you from Kazakhstan and afraid after the 2025 law?

In the UK this is grounds for asylum. You are not alone.

Since December 2025 Kazakhstan has a new law against LGBT expression.
Police raided LGBT venues in Astana in 2024 and 2025. This is officially documented.

What to do right now:

──── Below: new laws, raids, documents ────
⚠️ This is a library. What applies to your case is decided by an IAA-regulated lawyer.
🆘 Need urgent help? Galop LGBT+: 0800 999 5428 (Mon-Tue 9:15-20:00, Wed-Fri 9:15-16:30) · Migrant Help asylum 24/7: 0808 8010 503
📌 Key documented facts about Kazakhstan (✅✅✅-verified only)
«30 December 2025: President Tokayev signed the propaganda law. Fine: 144,500 tenge. Up to 10 days administrative detention. In force from early 2026.» (Eurasianet, January 2026; HRW November 2025; Amnesty November 2025)
«12 April 2024, Astana: SOBR raid on a rented cottage. Approximately 70 men taken to police station. Pretext: 'tip-off about prohibited substances'.» (RFE/RL Exclusive Kazakhstan, April 2024; ILGA-Europe statement, April 2024)
«22 November 2025, Astana: Police and Special Forces Against Organised Crime raided LGBT bar. All staff taken to police station. Named: Zhanar Sekerbaeva, Temirlan Baimash, Arzha Tursynkhan (placed in cell, physically assaulted, glasses broken).» (76 Crimes, February 2026; FIDH/OMCT, November 2025)
«ECOM 2024: 78% of registered hate crimes target LGBT people; 27% of LGBT respondents physically assaulted; three-quarters do not report to police.» (ECOM National Report Kazakhstan, March 2025)
Sources: ECOM National Report Kazakhstan (March 2025) · ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2025 · HRW (November 2025, April 2026) · Eurasianet (January 2026) · FIDH/OMCT (November 2025) · 76 Crimes (February 2026) · UN AL KAZ 3/2024
⚠️ This page is a library of public documents, not immigration advice. What to use in your case is decided by an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated lawyer.
📚 Document catalogue
ECOM National Report Kazakhstan — Violations of LGBT Rights
ECOM
Quantitative baseline: 78% of recorded hate crimes target LGBT people; 27% of LGBT respondents physically assaulted; three out of four do not report to police. The main quantitative source on Kazakhstan.
Open on ecom.ngo →
ILGA-Europe Annual Review 2025 — Kazakhstan chapter
ILGA-Europe
80+ documented hate-motivated incidents August 2023 – August 2024. «Fake date» entrapment pattern; case: lesbian falsely diagnosed with schizophrenia for conversion «therapy». Also includes ECOM 78% data.
Open on ilga-europe.org →
UN Special Procedures AL KAZ 3/2024 — Communication on raids and petition
UN OHCHR
5 UN mandate-holders condemned the petition against LGBT rights, raids, and «confessions about sexual orientation» during interrogations. Official UN communication addressed to the Government of Kazakhstan.
Download PDF →
Homophobia Taints Criminal Prosecutions in Kazakhstan
HRW
Documents the use of homophobia in criminal prosecutions, including the Amirovka case. Analysis of the legal system and law enforcement practices towards LGBT people in Kazakhstan.
Open on hrw.org →
OHCHR: Kazakhstan's proposed LGBT propaganda law risks institutionalising discrimination
UN OHCHR
«The proposed law risks institutionalising discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons in Kazakhstan.» Official UN position before the law was signed by the President.
Open on ohchr.org →
Physical Attacks and Judicial Harassment of LGBTQIA+ Defenders in Kazakhstan
FIDH/OMCT
Joint statement of four organisations on physical attacks and harassment of LGBT rights defenders in Kazakhstan. Documents the 22 November 2025 raid in Astana, including names of those affected.
Open on fidh.org →
Tokayev signs amendments banning LGBT propaganda in Kazakhstan
Eurasianet
Report on President Tokayev signing the law on 30 December 2025. Details of sanctions: fine of 144,500 tenge (approx. $280), up to 10 days administrative detention. Context: comparison with Russian anti-propaganda legislation.
Open on eurasianet.org →
Kazakhstan arrests LGBTI rights activists (Astana November 2025 raid)
76 Crimes
Detailed account of the 22 November 2025 raid: detention of all LGBT bar staff in Astana, physical violence against Arzha Tursynkhan, pressure on those detained.
Open on 76crimes.com →
📖 Context

«LGBT propaganda» law of 30 December 2025

On 30 December 2025, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law banning «propaganda of LGBT». The law provides for a fine of 144,500 tenge (approx. $280) and up to 10 days administrative detention for «propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations».

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and OHCHR condemned the law before it was signed. OHCHR described it as «institutionalising discrimination». The law came into force in early 2026.

Police raids in Astana: April 2024 and November 2025

On 12 April 2024, SOBR officers raided a rented cottage in Astana. Approximately 70 men were taken to a police station under the pretext of «a tip-off about prohibited substances».

On 22 November 2025, police and Special Forces Against Organised Crime raided an LGBT bar in Astana. All staff were detained. According to reports, Arzha Tursynkhan was placed in a cell with detainees who threatened rape, physically assaulted him and broke his glasses.

Both incidents are documented by multiple independent sources.

Cross-references

To understand how the Home Office handles LGBT cases without a UK CPIN, see Evidence for LGBT asylum. For other countries — All countries.

⚠️ Important: This catalogue contains public documents for general information. It is not immigration advice. What applies to your case is decided by an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated lawyer.
⚠️ Information is general in nature and does not constitute immigration advice. Always consult an IAA/SRA/BSB-regulated professional.
⚠️ StartNewLife is an information project — not regulated by the IAA (Immigration Advice Authority). We do not provide immigration advice within the meaning of Section 84 of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999. All content is general information only and does not replace advice from a regulated lawyer (IAA / SRA / BSB) about your specific case.