Kyrgyzstan may toughen penalties for unauthorized burials
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan suggested introducing criminal liability for unauthorized burial, reburial, or exhumation of a body without official permission, a Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The draft law, prepared by the Bishkek mayor’s office, has been submitted for public discussion.
The initiative would add a separate provision to Article 164 of the Criminal Code “Desecration of the body of the deceased and burial site”, since no independent criminal norm currently exists for such actions.
Violators could face one of the penalties, including a fine of 50,000–100,000 soms ( appr. 260,000–520,000 tenge), 80–200 hours of community service, custodial restraint for up to 3 years and imprisonment for up to 3 years.
Kyrgyzstan already banned stone and marble monuments for graves, with official instructions regulating memorial installations. The Cabinet of Ministers has also developed rules for reserving burial plots at cemeteries.
Recently, Kyrgyzstan officially banned cremation under new funeral law.
