“He’s just worried, jealous”: deputy on attempts to justify stalking in Kazakhstan

Tengrinews.kz – Mazhilis deputy Natalia Dementyeva said that in Kazakhstan it is important to change not only legislation related to stalking, but also society’s attitude toward violations of personal boundaries.
According to the deputy, society still often justifies harassment with phrases such as: “He is just worried,” “He is just jealous,” “He just cannot let the situation go,” and “He has not done anything.”

“That is why we are facing not only a legal problem, but also a serious cultural one. We still quite often romanticize forms of behavior that are, in fact, violations of another person’s personal boundaries,” the deputy said during a round table in the Mazhilis on “Prevention of Stalking and Forced Marriage: Legislation, Protection and Interagency Cooperation.”

She emphasized that this is where one of the key boundaries lies between legal regulation and public consciousness. According to Dementyeva, the law can establish liability for harassment, but changing society’s attitude toward this problem is much more difficult.

“Today, the state faces a task much broader than simply applying a new article of the Criminal Code. We need to form a new legal culture — a culture of respect for personal boundaries, a culture of respect for private life, and a culture of intolerance toward any form of obsessive harassment,” the deputy said.

Dementyeva noted that this work cannot be limited to law enforcement agencies alone. According to her, the education system, the media, the scientific community, human rights organizations and civil society institutions must also be involved.

“The effectiveness of a law is not limited to the fact that it has been legally adopted. In reality, it is determined by how fairly it is applied, how much people trust these norms, and how high society’s confidence is in their protection,” the deputy said.

Context
Criminal liability for stalking has been in effect in Kazakhstan since September 16, 2025. Article 115-1 of the Criminal Code provides for a fine of up to 200 MCIs, community service of up to 200 hours, or arrest for up to 50 days for harassment.
Earlier, we reported that dozens of cases had already been opened in Kazakhstan under the new article on stalking. The Interior Ministry noted that the law makes it possible to protect a person at an early stage of harassment and prevent psychological and physical harm.
Kazakhstan has also introduced criminal liability for forcing someone into marriage. New Article 125-1 provides punishment for coercion into marriage or cohabitation, including through threats, blackmail, psychological pressure, violence or abduction.