The death penalty may be reinstated in Kyrgyzstan

The administration of the President of Kyrgyzstan has submitted a draft law to public discussion that envisages the reinstatement of the death penalty in the country. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

The main purpose of this document is to strengthen the protection of children and women from serious crimes, particularly violence and murder. According to the authors of the initiative, the increase in such crimes in the country has created the necessity to establish clear and strict punishments for the perpetrators.

The draft states that individuals who commit cruel violence against children and women may be completely excluded from society and punished with the most severe penalty — the death penalty. Currently, the death penalty is effectively banned in Kyrgyzstan, with this prohibition enshrined in Article 25, Part 1 of the Constitution.

According to the updated draft law, the optional protocol to the UN Convention prohibiting the death penalty, which the country joined in 2010, will also be revoked. The explanation emphasizes that the death penalty will only be applied for the most serious crimes, based on the laws in force at the time the crime was committed, and by the final verdict of a competent court.

This process should not contradict international legal norms and the requirements of the Convention against Genocide. President Sadir Japarov proposed this initiative at the beginning of October, suggesting the introduction of the death penalty for individuals who raped children or raped and killed women.

This decision arose after a brutal rape and murder incident in the Issyk-Kul region in 2008. The perpetrator has already been apprehended.

On October 4, the President indicated that the draft law on the death penalty could be put to a nationwide vote. For reference, the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan was abolished after a moratorium was declared in 1998 and was fully replaced by life imprisonment in 2007.

In 2010, the country ratified an international protocol committing not to reinstate the death penalty. If the new initiative is adopted, constitutional amendments and a nationwide referendum will be required to reinstate the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan.

Analysts believe that this initiative will provoke widespread discussions in the country, as some support the demand for justice, while others consider it contrary to humanitarian principles.