Capital punishment in Kyrgyzstan
Capital punishment in Kyrgyzstan has been abolished.[1]
On 5 December 1998, President Askar Akayev established a two-year moratorium on executions, which was subsequently renewed annually.[2]
On 27 June 2007, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed legislation amending Kyrgyzstan's Criminal Code and abolishing the death penalty.[2]
On 1 October 2025, President Sadyr Japarov ordered the head of the legal support department to draft a legislation to reintroduce the death penalty for people convicted of violent crimes against women and children. The initiative came as a result of the murder of a 17-year-old in late September 2025 by previously convicted offender Kumarbek Abdyrov.[3] This proposal caused condemnation from UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, who urged the Kyrgyz government to immediately halt the advancement of the bill in parliament.[4]
The Kyrgyzstan constitution was amended to state that:[2] "No one in the Kyrgyz Republic can be deprived of life."
In 2025, the Kyrgyz Constitutional Court declared efforts to reintroduce the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan as "unconstitutional".[5]
References
- ^ "Abolitionist and retentionist countries | Amnesty International". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "HANDS OFF CAIN against death penalty in the world". Handsoffcain.info. 27 June 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- ^ Burc Eruygur and Seyit Kurt (1 October 2025). "Kyrgyz president orders drafting of death penalty bill for heinous crimes". Anadolu Agency.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Reintroduction of death penalty in Kyrgyzstan to violate international law - UN Human Rights Chief". Kazinform. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ^ "Death penalty in 2025 – Facts and figures". Amnesty International. 18 May 2026. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.