"The death penalty contradicts the international obligations of Kyrgyzstan"
A working meeting took place between the Ombudsman of Kyrgyzstan, Jamilya Jamambaeva, the UN Resident Coordinator Antje Grawe, and the Regional Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia, Matilda Bogner. They discussed amendments to the Constitution regarding the reinstatement of the death penalty, as well as a bill on the denunciation of the Law of Kyrgyzstan on joining the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights." The Ombudsman Institute of the KR reported this.
As Jamilya Jamambaeva reported, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of crimes against women and children is increasing by 30% annually. In 2024, 64.1% of all appeals to the Institute were related to the work of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.
“We understand that public reaction to cases of violence is emotional; however, the reinstatement of the death penalty is not a solution to the problem. It is necessary to improve the quality of investigations, ensure the inevitability of punishment, and strengthen measures to prevent crimes,” emphasized Jamilya Jamambaeva.
During the meeting, Jamilya Jamambaeva noted that in 2023, the Ombudsman Institute had already expressed its position against the reinstatement of the death penalty when a number of deputies submitted a request to the Constitutional Court to reconsider the ban on this measure of punishment. The Akýkatçy emphasized that the Institute's position remains unchanged: the reinstatement of the death penalty contradicts the international obligations of Kyrgyzstan, especially the provisions of the Second Optional Protocol on the abolition of the death penalty, ratified by the country in 2010.
UN representatives supported the position of the Akýkatçy. They noted that the reinstatement of the death penalty not only contradicts international obligations but could also negatively affect the country's international image as a state that protects human rights.
“If the amendment is adopted, it will significantly distance the country from its international obligations. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Second Optional Protocol do not allow for denunciation, and the abolition of the death penalty is legally irreversible for states that have signed these agreements,” stated UN Resident Coordinator Antje Grawe.
Photo of the Ombudsman Institute
