Smirnova Dismisses Rumor about Russian Justice Ministry's Involvement in Drafting Foreign Agents Law

Majilis deputy Irina Smirnova responded to claims that Russian experts are allegedly assisting Kazakhstan in developing a law on foreign agents, Orda.kz reports.

Journalist Ardak Bukeyeva posted on Facebook that experts from the Russian Federation were taking part in drafting the foreign agents law proposed by Smirnova.

Work on the Law on Foreign Agents, requested by Deputy Smirnova, is underway, and the Russian Ministry of Justice has joined the drafting. Unofficially, most likely. But it is actively consulting, Bukeyeva wrote.

Orda.kz reached out to Irina Smirnova for comment, who initially dismissed the claims and offered a more detailed response:

After the Qurultay, the President proposed to develop a draft law on NGOs. And, perhaps, there will not be a separate law on FA, but there will be amendments and so on. It is still too early to say anything. And, by the way, we never involve anyone outside for our amendments, especially from abroad.

In early February, Smirnova, a deputy from the People's Party of Kazakhstan, proposed developing a law on foreign agents. She argued that organizations receiving foreign funding should carry a specific label. As of mid-March, she confirmed that work on the proposal was ongoing.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin