The White House is the official residence of the President and Parliament of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan: Chief UN human rights activist calls on authorities to abandon proposals to reintroduce the death penalty International Law
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk today called on the Kyrgyz authorities to immediately stop efforts to reintroduce the death penalty, warning that such a regressive move would be a serious violation of international law.
Kyrgyzstan stopped using the death penalty in 1998 and then permanently banned it in law in 2010 after ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This treaty obliges States Parties to take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty.
However, following the rape and murder of a girl in late September, Kyrgyz authorities proposed amending the Constitution to allow the death penalty for the rape of a child, as well as for the rape and murder of a child or adult. It is also proposed to withdraw from the Protocol. These decisions are expected to be put to a referendum in the coming weeks and, if approved, sent to the country’s parliament. justification,” the High Commissioner emphasized. He added that no justice system is flawless and if the death penalty is reintroduced, it will eventually lead to the death of innocent people at the hands of the state.
The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the ICCPR, has made it clear that, since the Covenant and the Second Optional Protocol do not contain provisions for their denunciation, the abolition of the death penalty is legally irreversible for states that have accepted these treaties. This also means that states are prohibited from reintroducing it. In addition, a state that ratifies the Protocol without reservations is not permitted to use the death penalty even for the most serious crimes.
“Kyrgyzstan has for many years been part of a growing—and very welcome—global consensus on universal abolition of the death penalty. Current legislative initiatives are contrary to the spirit of the country’s commitments, including its recent support for the Human Rights Council resolution calling on states to ratify the Second Optional Protocol,” Turk noted.
About 170 states have abolished the death penalty or introduced a moratorium on its use in legislation or in practice.
“The crimes cited by the authorities as grounds for reintroducing the death penalty are certainly heinous and must be properly dealt with. However, there is no evidence that the death penalty plays a significant role in deterring serious crimes,” Turk said. and compensation for damages. “The answer must be a victim-centred and adequately resourced approach to combating violence, including sexual violence,” said the High Commissioner.