Kazakhstan Foreign Intelligence Law (Revised Version on Year Month Day)

Key Chapter Title List

1. General Provisions
2. Organization of Activities of Foreign Intelligence Subjects and the Intelligence Community
3. Basic Concepts
4. Foreign Intelligence Subjects
5. Objectives and Tasks of Intelligence Activities
6. Principles of Intelligence Activities
7. Powers and Authorities of Intelligence Subjects
8. Conditions for Conducting Intelligence Activities
9. Storage and Interaction Mechanisms for Intelligence Information
10. Legal Status and Rights of Intelligence Personnel
11. Rules for the Use of Physical Force, Special Means, and Weapons
12. Funding Guarantees and Supervision Mechanisms

Document Introduction

This document is the 2024 revised version of Kazakhstan's "Law on Foreign Intelligence" (effective as of January 5, 2024) and is the fundamental legal document regulating the country's foreign intelligence activities. Its core legislative purpose is to clarify the legal status, organizational structure, and operational rules of the foreign intelligence system, ensuring the protection of national sovereignty, security, and core interests from external threats through institutionalized intelligence collection, analysis, and application.

The law begins by defining core concepts in the field of foreign intelligence, including key terms such as intelligence information, intelligence operations, and the intelligence community. It clarifies the composition of foreign intelligence subjects—the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan as the primary foreign intelligence agency, and military intelligence agencies under the Ministry of Defense operating within their statutory authority. Simultaneously, the law establishes the core objectives of intelligence activities: to prevent external threats and promote the expansion of national interests by providing accurate intelligence and analytical assessments to the national leadership and relevant institutions.

Regarding the specific regulations for intelligence activities, the law details the scope of tasks for intelligence work, covering multiple key areas such as politics, economy, military affairs, science and technology, and ecology. It explicitly requires the prevention of harm to Kazakhstan's national interests by various actors, including foreign special forces, terrorist organizations, and criminal groups. Furthermore, the law establishes four major principles for intelligence activities: legality, respect for human rights and freedoms, unified command, and the combination of open and secret methods, ensuring that intelligence work is conducted in an orderly manner within the legal framework.

The document dedicates a chapter to defining the boundaries of authority for foreign intelligence subjects, including core functions such as intelligence collection, analysis, storage, cross-border collaboration, and information security assurance. It clarifies the supreme leadership authority of the President in the field of foreign intelligence, encompassing key powers such as determining the direction of intelligence work, appointing and dismissing heads of intelligence agencies, and approving agency structures. Additionally, the law systematically regulates the legal status, rights protection, and accountability of intelligence personnel, specifying the conditions and limits for the use of physical force, special means, and weapons, balancing the effectiveness and legality of intelligence work.

In terms of supervision and guarantee mechanisms, the law stipulates systems for internal departmental supervision and prosecutorial supervision of foreign intelligence activities. It explicitly states that funding and material support are borne by the state budget, ensuring the sustainability of intelligence agency operations. Concurrently, the law establishes collaboration mechanisms between intelligence subjects and other state bodies and social organizations, constructing a closed-loop system covering the entire chain of intelligence collection, analysis, and application.

As an important component of Kazakhstan's national security legal system, this revised law adapts to the national security needs of the new situation. Through revisions that improve the construction of the intelligence community, refine norms for intelligence operations, and strengthen personnel guarantees, it further enhances the legalization and standardization of the country's foreign intelligence work, providing solid legal support for safeguarding national interests and regional security and stability.