On January 1, 2015, the new Criminal Code, which was approved by President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s July 2014 decree, took effect in Kazakhstan. Hailed by the authorities as a means to modernize the domestic penal system in line with international standards, it introduces a number of novelties aimed not only at “humanizing” the law but also at translating sentences into real economic benefits for the state. For instance, the government is no longer allowed to seize private property in connection with 45 types of crimes excluding the gravest ones; this measure was previously practiced as an additional form of punishment (Tengrinews.kz, …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation