Organizers of Kyzdar.net website detained in Kazakhstan

Authorities in Kazakhstan have detained the organizers of Kyzdar.net, a website that has been operating since 2011 to advertise and arrange paid intimate services. The Almaty prosecutor's office announced the detentions, stating that the individuals are charged under a section of the Criminal Code related to organizing or maintaining brothels and pimping via the internet.

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According to the investigation, the website has been used since 2011 to post advertisements and organize paid intimate services.

During searches of the organizers' office, law enforcement officers confiscated significant amounts of cash, digital assets, and computer equipment. The preliminary estimate of the illegal income generated by the website exceeds 2 billion tenge. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing and is under the special supervision of the Almaty City Prosecutor's Office.

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Illegal income has been preliminarily estimated at over 2 billion tenge.

This is not the first attempt to prosecute the website's management. In the spring of 2023, police detained 11 individuals, but the case was closed in 2024 due to legislative gaps. The Ministry of Internal Affairs cited a lack of clear definitions for terms like "online pimping" and "advertising prostitution" in the existing law at the time.

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The pre-trial investigation under Article 309 of the Criminal Code regarding the organization of brothels for prostitution was closed due to gaps in legislation.

However, amendments to the Criminal Code adopted in September 2024 have strengthened the legal framework. The updated law now explicitly holds accountable organizers of brothels, pimps, and administrators of websites or chats advertising intimate services. Part 2 of Article 309 of the Criminal Code now carries a penalty of 5 to 10 years imprisonment with property confiscation for online pimping.

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The law now makes it possible to hold the following people accountable: organizers of brothels; pimps; administrators of themed chats and websites that advertise intimate services.