The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic has provided clarifications regarding the initiative to restore the death penalty. The agency emphasized that the Constitutional Court recognized the impossibility of introducing the highest measure of punishment, considering the country's existing international obligations.
Recent cases of the murder of women and children under aggravating circumstances have caused widespread public resonance and concern.
In response to the rise in violent crimes against women and children, the President of the country has taken control of the investigation into the murder of a 17-year-old girl from Karakol and instructed the relevant authorities to develop proposals for amending legislation that could provide for the death penalty for the rape of children and murders related to rape.
From October 13 to 28, 2025, public discussions were held on draft laws related to amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and the repeal of the law on joining the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights concerning the abolition of the death penalty. The results of the discussions showed that the majority of participants opposed the introduction of the death penalty.
On December 2, 2025, President S. Japarov submitted the draft law "On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic" to the Constitutional Court for an official opinion.
On December 10, 2025, the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, based on a combination of constitutional and international legal grounds, concluded that the restoration of the death penalty through a constitutional amendment is inadmissible and contradicts the Constitution. Thus, the draft law cannot be put to a referendum, and all procedures for its implementation must be terminated from the moment the court's conclusion comes into force.
It is important to note that the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Kyrgyz Republic has acceded, aims for the complete and final abolition of the death penalty and does not provide for a mechanism for denunciation. This means that by becoming a party to the Protocol, the state has undertaken indefinite obligations not to introduce the death penalty and not to apply it under any circumstances. Introducing the death penalty in this context would place Kyrgyzstan in a position of violating its international obligations, which contradicts the principle of good faith in the performance of international treaties.
Kyrgyzstan, as a rule of law state, will continue to faithfully fulfill its international obligations. At the same time, work to tighten penalties for crimes against women and children will continue within the framework of these obligations.
