Kyrgyz president’s proposal to reinstate death penalty lands in court
Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Court received a proposal from President Japarov seeking to amend the Constitution to allow the death penalty
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (MNTV) — Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Court has received a proposal from President Sadyr Japarov seeking to amend the Constitution to allow the death penalty for certain grave crimes, Azattyk reported.
The draft amendment targets Part 1 of Article 25 of the Constitution and would permit capital punishment as an exceptional measure for “especially serious crimes of a sexual nature against children” and murders involving rape.
Supporting documents say the initiative responds to a rise in violent crimes against children and women, arguing that harsher penalties are needed to protect vulnerable groups. The court has not indicated when it will issue a ruling.
Japarov revived the push following the September murder of 17-year-old Aisuluu Mukasheva in Issyk-Kul. The proposed amendments were released for public consultation on Oct. 13.
Ombudsperson Jamilya Zhamanbayeva has strongly criticized the move, saying capital punishment will not address the root causes of violence. During a recent meeting with UN representatives Antje Graves and Matilda Bogner, she warned the measure would undermine human rights safeguards.
UN officials echoed those concerns, noting that Kyrgyzstan’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Second Optional Protocol in 2010 prohibits reinstating the death penalty.
Kyrgyzstan introduced a moratorium on capital punishment in 1998, replaced it with life imprisonment in 2007 and fully banned it under its 2021 Constitution.
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