Kazakhstan: MP Calls for Foreign Agent Law, Citing Concerns Over NGO Influence

A lawmaker has proposed introducing legislation to regulate foreign non-governmental organizations amid growing scrutiny of their activities in the country, Orda.kz reports.

Majilis deputy Irina Smirnova expressed concerns about foreign-funded projects in media, rights advocacy, democratic reforms, and civil society development.

She suggested these initiatives may conceal political agendas.

About 200 NGOs receive funding in Kazakhstan, with 70% reportedly linked to American sources.

At the last plenary session, a parliamentary inquiry was voiced regarding the activities of USAID in our country. This inquiry literally stirred up society. The reaction can be expressed briefly - Kazakhstanis do not want to be hostages of someone else's games. As in the story with USAID, the Americans themselves recognize the destructiveness of the state media they finance. They themselves call them a relic of the past, which was created for ideological struggle in the post-war realities, the parliamentarian said.

Smirnova referenced similar regulatory frameworks in the United States, Great Britain, China, Australia, etc. 

She advocated for developing Kazakhstan-specific legislation to ensure transparency regarding foreign influence.

Even experts cannot recognize where the resources are friendly to us, and where we need to be more careful, so as not to run into a destructive force. If foreign NGOs, feeling comfortable, really play their own game, their influence can come back to haunt us. It is time to review the status of a number of non-governmental organizations that have been working in the 'gray zone' for years and rewrite the rules of the game with foreign donors, The deputy read out her request, which she addressed to the Head of The Cabinet.

Smirnova has requested the government to provide its official position and propose specific measures to monitor foreign organizations' activities.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova