Kazakstan approves law to revoke citizenship for those committed of "terrorist crimes"

Kazakhstan has approved a bill that deprives offenders of "terrorist crimes" of their citizenship, the country's justice minister said Tuesday.

The list of such crimes includes severe harm to the vital interests of the country, genocide, separatist activities, creation and leadership of an extremist group and participation in its activities, according to Minister of Justice Marat Beketayev.

Besides stripping such criminals of their citizenship, additional punishment will be provided under the Criminal Code, Beketayev added.

Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev highlighted the urgency of the law, adding that it was drafted on behalf of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Sagintayev also denied the allegation that the law was politically motivated.

"It's not connected with any political issue. We want people who participate in terrorist activities not to have an opportunity to return to Kazakhstan to spread their ideology," he said.

President Nazarbayev said earlier that Kazakh citizens who have joined DAESH (another name of the Islamic State) will be deprived of their citizenship.

"This is a compulsory measure. First of all, it is necessary to take such measures to assure that people do not join the ranks of terrorists. We tried to conduct preventive work with those who returned from the DAESH, but this did not work," Nazarbayev said. "So we decided to close their way home." Endi