Kazakhstan's Parliament on Wednesday approved an anti-extremism bill. The oil-rich country's government has said the bill is aimed at curbing the growing activity of religious extremist groups in the country. The bill, approved by Parliament's lower house, the Majlis, names political parties and media among potential sources of extremism. It allows the creation of a list of extremist groups and their members, and gives courts in the capital, Astana, the authority to designate a group as extremist. Law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office will also have expanded surveillance rights and the right to suspend organizations suspected of extremism under the law, which President Nursultan Nazarbayev is expected to sign within the next two weeks.
