Kazakhstan plans to tighten accountability for citizens working with state secrets.

Member of the Mazhilis Marat Bashimov has made a request to the National Security Committee (KNB) of Kazakhstan, inquiring about how compliance with the non-disclosure obligations of citizens granted access to state secrets is monitored.

"Some bearers of secrets are 'wandering' around the world, meeting with leaders of foreign states and entities. Meanwhile, the public is left with the impression that they bear no responsibility and that no measures are being taken to control the dissemination of state secrets," - the deputy's inquiry states.

According to the KNB of Kazakhstan, in accordance with Article 29 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On State Secrets," access for officials and citizens of the country to state secrets requires them to assume written obligations to the state regarding the non-disclosure of entrusted information.

"For the travel abroad of these individuals without the approval of the head of the state body or organization, administrative liability is provided for under part 2 of Article 504 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO).

"Individuals, whether currently or previously granted access to state secrets, who have obligations regarding the non-disclosure of such information, can be held criminally liable for the disclosure of state secrets or the loss of their carriers," - states the KNB's response to the deputy's inquiry.

Furthermore, according to the agency, Article 504 of the CAO applies only to individuals granted access to work with state secrets and is not applicable to those who had access to them in the past.

"Thus, individuals who were previously granted access to state secrets, despite the relevance of their travel restrictions outlined in the access agreement, cannot be subjected to administrative liability for unauthorized (unapproved) travel abroad.

"To eliminate this legal gap and to align with Article 32 of the Law, the KNB has initiated an amendment to Article 504 of the CAO as part of the draft law 'On Amendments and Additions to the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses.' This will allow for the administrative liability of individuals who were previously granted access to state secrets. ", - the KNB added.

The Committee is also working on enhancing accountability for violations in the area of technical protection of classified information and systematic breaches of secrecy regimes, as well as the failure of authorized individuals and leaders to take measures to rectify previously identified violations.

The aforementioned amendments are planned to be implemented as separate sections of Article 504 of the CAO with an increase in the imposed fines.

As reported in the IPS "Әділет," state secrets are protected state information that constitutes state and official secrets, the dissemination of which is restricted by the state to ensure effective military, economic, scientific-technical, foreign economic, foreign policy, intelligence, counterintelligence, operational-search, and other activities that do not contradict universally accepted norms of international law.

In this regard, access to state secrets is the procedure for granting citizens the right to access information that constitutes state secrets and for organizations to conduct work using such information.

It was reported in the summer that a verdict was issued in Shymkent against an employee of the Anti-Corruption Agency, who was accused of illegally disclosing state secrets.

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