UN urges Kyrgyzstan to uphold human rights, reject return of death penalty

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has urged Kyrgyz authorities not to reintroduce the death penalty, saying such a move would violate international law.

In early October, Kyrgyz authorities proposed amending the Constitution to reinstate capital punishment. The presidential administration said the death penalty should apply to those who killed women and sexually assaulted children.

The proposal followed the September killing of 17-year-old Aisuluu, who was raped and strangled to death by a taxi driver after he picked her up for a trip to a neighboring village.

Türk stated that no justice system is perfect and warned that reinstating capital punishment could ultimately cost innocent lives.

The UN human rights chief explained that by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2010, Kyrgyzstan made a legally binding commitment to abolish the death penalty.