The situation with the increasing crimes against women and children, including murders, has caused widespread public resonance in the country.
The President, concerned about the rise in cases of violence, particularly the murder of a 17-year-old girl from Karakol, has taken this matter under personal control and instructed the relevant authorities to prepare proposals for amending the laws, including the possibility of introducing the death penalty for crimes such as child rape and violence-related murders.
From October 13 to 28, 2025, a public discussion was held on the draft law "On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic" and the draft concerning the denunciation of the Law on Accession to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which was adopted on December 15, 1989. As a result of the discussion, the majority of participants expressed opposition to the restoration of the death penalty,” the official statement reads.
On December 2, 2025, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr 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, evaluating the arguments based on constitutional and international principles, declared that the restoration of the death penalty through constitutional amendments does not comply with the current Constitution and is inadmissible. Thus, the draft law cannot be put to a referendum, and all actions to implement this initiative must be ceased from the moment the court's decision comes into force.
It is important to emphasize that the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kyrgyzstan has acceded, aims at the complete and final abolition of the death penalty and does not provide for the possibility of denunciation.
Thus, by joining this protocol, the state has undertaken an indefinite obligation not to introduce the death penalty and not to apply it under any circumstances.
The introduction of the death penalty under such conditions would place the Kyrgyz Republic in the position of a country violating its international obligations, which contradicts the principles enshrined in the Constitution regarding the recognition of international law and the good faith execution of international treaties.
Kyrgyzstan, as a rule of law state, will continue to fulfill all international obligations while simultaneously working to tighten penalties for crimes against women and children within the framework of existing legislation.
