Death penalty: Human rights activists claim international rights violations

12:09, 15 октября 2025, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Baktygul OSMONALIEVA

A number of international human rights organizations issued a statement regarding the initiative of Kyrgyzstan’s government to reinstate the death penalty: Freedom for Eurasia, International Partnership for Human Rights, The Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Araminta, International Federation for Human Rights, People in Need, and Civil Rights Defenders.

Human rights activists condemn the possible reinstatement of the death penalty, calling it a violation of the country’s international obligations and an attempt to exploit the recent tragedy for populist ends.

«While it is essential to combat violence against women, the death penalty is not the solution. Global evidence shows that harsher punishments, including executions, do not act as effective deterrents. Instead, reinstating capital punishment risks further abuse in a legal system already plagued by corruption, impunity, and weak rule of law,» the statement says.

It is noted that such a move would directly violate Kyrgyzstan’s Constitution, which explicitly bans the death penalty under Article 25, and breach its international obligations, in particular under the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires ratifying states — including Kyrgyzstan — to abolish the death penalty in all circumstances.

It would also seriously damage its international reputation and its relations with key partners, including the European Union and the Council of Europe, which consistently oppose the death penalty as an inhumane and ineffective punishment, the statement emphasizes.

President Sadyr Japarov proposed reinstating the death penalty for particularly serious crimes against children and women. The initiative was prompted by the murder of 17-year-old Aisuluu Mukasheva, who was abducted and raped on September 27. This tragedy sparked widespread public outcry.

Amendments to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan, which would reinstate the death penalty, have already been submitted for public discussion.

Kyrgyzstan also plans to revoke its ratification of the UN Protocol abolishing the death penalty.