KAZAKHSTAN: ANTI-NARCOTICS LEGISLATION WOULD INCREASE

UNCLAS ASTANA 000041 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE (BUHLER AND BALABANIAN),INL/C, SCA/CEN (O'MARA) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR SOCI KCRM KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ANTI-NARCOTICS LEGISLATION WOULD INCREASE CRIMINAL PENALTIES ¶1. The media reported on January 9 that the Mazhilis (the lower chamber of Parliament) has approved a bill to amend the Criminal and Administrative Codes to increase penalties for drug-related crimes up to life imprisonment. ¶2. Kalmukhanbet Kassymov, Vice Minister of Internal Affairs (MVD), said that life imprisonment will be applied in cases of 1) sales of drugs in educational institutions and to minors; 2) sales of large quantities of drugs, especially when sold by organized criminal groups; and 3) sales resulting in death. The bill includes sanctions against "entertainment organizations" and allows for temporary suspension or closure of such facilities if drugs are found. ¶3. At a meeting with Mazhilis deputies, Vice Minister Kassymov contended that contraband and narco-trafficking is growing in Kazakhstan and that criminal penalties must be toughened in response. Maratkali Nukenov, Chairman of the Committee on Combating Drugs of the MVD, said in a press interview on January 5 that China has been the most country successful in countering drugs, because of its tough penalties for drug-related crimes, including the death penalty, as well as its well-developed drug demand reduction and rehabilitation programs. The Kazakhstani MVD, Nukenov explained, is incorporating the positive examples of its Chinese counterparts in its work. ORDWAY