This measure will apply to people over 18 years of age who have committed a crime against the sexual freedom of minors and were not found to be insane during the court proceedings.
The procedure will be carried out on the basis of a court decision preceded by a psychiatric expertise aimed at determining whether the person has mental disorders and a tendency to sexual violence. Earlier, no later than 12 months before the expiry of the sentence, the prison administration must submit materials to the court for an opinion.
The regulation of the Minister of Health, which entered into force on October 17, also specified that those convicted of pedophilia will be subject to these measures in the place where they are serving their prison sentence, and in the case of people sentenced to other types of penalties – in health care facilities providing psychiatric assistance. The procedure will not be performed on convicts to whom the court has previously applied compulsory medical measures, for example in connection with a mental disorder diagnosed with them.
Sexual crimes in Kazakhstan
The Criminal Code of Kazakhstan provides for the rape of a minor to be punished by imprisonment from 15 to 20 years, and in special cases even life imprisonment. The court may also order a lifelong ban on holding certain positions, in particular those related to working with minors.
According to data available from Kazakhstan's state sources, in 2024, approximately 870 crimes involving sexual violence against minors were detected. However, there is no data available on how many people out of 33,000 serving sentences are in prisons in connection with crimes related to pedophilia.
