Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry comments on impossibility of reinstating death penalty
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan has issued an official statement on the issue of reinstatement of the death penalty in the country, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the ministry, the recent surge in murders of children and women under aggravating circumstances has shocked the entire community.
"Deeply concerned about the growing number of violent crimes against women and children, the Head of State has taken personal control of the case involving the murder of a 17-year-old girl from Karakol and instructed the relevant government bodies to propose legislative amendments allowing for the application of the death penalty for the rape of minors and murder committed in connection with rape," the statement reads.
From 13 to 28 October 2025, the draft Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic" and the draft Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Repealing the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On the Accession of the Kyrgyz Republic to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 44/128 of 15 December 1989" dated 16 March 2010 No. 52" underwent public discussions.
Following these public discussions, the majority of participants opposed the reinstatement of the death penalty.
On 2 December 2025, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov submitted the draft Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic” to the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic for an official conclusion.
On 10 December 2025, the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, as an independent body, based on the entirety of constitutional and international legal arguments, ruled that reinstating the death penalty through a constitutional amendment is incompatible with the Constitution and is therefore impermissible and impossible.
Accordingly, the draft Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic" cannot be submitted to a referendum, and all procedures aimed at implementing this initiative must be terminated from the moment the Conclusion of the Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic enters into force.
The ministry emphasizes that as a rule-of-law state, the Kyrgyz Republic remains committed to fully complying with all its international obligations.
"At the same time, work on amending national legislation to strengthen penalties for crimes against children and women will proceed within the framework of these obligations," the statement reads.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported about the abduction, rape, and murder of a 17-year-old girl in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan. The case was taken under a personal control of Sadyr Zhaparov. He called for the introduction of the death penalty in the country for particularly grave crimes, such as child rape and the rape and murder of women.
