Amendments to the Constitution of Kyrgyzstan, providing for the introduction of the death penalty in the country, have been submitted for public discussion. The document was prepared by the presidential administration, and the head of state is listed as the initiator.
«In accordance with Article 23 of the Constitution, human rights and freedoms, including the right to life and sexual integrity of children and women, are among the highest values. They have direct effect, determining the meaning and content of the activities of state bodies, local governments, and their officials.
Article 16 of the Children’s Code stipulates that every child has the right to the protection of honor and dignity, as well as personal integrity. The state ensures the personal integrity of the child, protects them from physical and/or mental violence, sexual violence, and cruel, harsh, or degrading treatment.
Persons guilty of such actions are held accountable under law.
«The right and duty of the state is to protect and safeguard the lives and health of children and women. These rights are enshrined in the generally recognized principles and norms of international law, as well as in international treaties that have entered into force in accordance with the legislation of the republic,» the background document states.
The Presidential Administration recalled that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Kyrgyzstan acceded to it in 1994) establishes the obligation of states parties to protect children from all forms of violence, including sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse.
In accordance with the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 48/104 of December 20, 1993, countries are recommended to implement a comprehensive set of measures to combat violence against women, including physical and sexual violence.
States must develop criminal, civil, labor, and administrative sanctions within their domestic legislation to punish offenses and provide redress for harm caused to women who have been subjected to violence. Such women must be provided with access to justice mechanisms and, in accordance with national law, to fair and effective remedies for the harm they have suffered, the declaration states.
In accordance with the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to life is an inalienable right of every human being. This right is protected by law. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of life.
The author of the amendments notes that the country is currently experiencing an increase in the number of particularly serious crimes against children and women, including rape and murder involving rape, which is of extreme concern to both society and the state as a whole.
According to official data from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the following number of murders were registered:
- in 2021: children under 14 — 1; children aged 14 to 18 — 1; women — 36 (39 total);
- in 2022: children under 14 — 1; children aged 14 to 18 — 1; women — 41 (43 total);
- in 2023: children under 14 — 2; children aged 14 to 18 — 2; women — 21 (25 total);
- in 2024: children under 14 — 5; children aged 14 to 18 — 4; women — 34 (43 total).
- for the first eight months of 2025: children under 14 — 3; children aged 14 to 18 — 4; women — 21 (28 total).
The following cases were registered under Article 154 «Rape» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic:
- in 2021: children under 14 — 21; children aged 14 to 18 — 47; women — 12 (80 total);
- in 2022: children under 14 — 34; children aged 14 to 18 — 29; women — 7 (70 total);
- in 2023: children under 14 — 44; children aged 14 to 18 — 116; women — 15 (175 total);
- in 2024: children under 14 — 53; children aged 14 to 18 — 35; women — 19 (107 total);
- in the first eight months of 2025: children under 14 — 20; children aged 14 to 18 — 42; women — 19 (81 total).
These statistics demonstrate that state protection of children and women from particularly serious crimes is currently a pressing issue. However, official statistics do not reflect the full picture of child rape. Violence against children and women is increasing year after year, and today, the majority of such crimes in the Kyrgyz Republic remain hidden.
«Over the past few years, particularly serious crimes involving violence against children and women have forced society to seriously consider reinstating the death penalty as an exceptional measure of punishment. Protecting the lives and health of children and women at this stage is impossible without the threat of capital punishment and just retribution. Taking into account the fact that particularly serious crimes against children and women are on the rise and are crippling the lives of children and their families, the draft law proposes to include the death penalty in the Constitution as an exceptional measure of punishment,» the background document states.
According to the draft, if the amendments to the country’s Basic Law are adopted, Article 25 will be worded as follows:
1. Everyone has the inalienable right to life. Any attempt on human life or health is inadmissible. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of life. The death penalty may be established by law only for the rape of children and murder involving rape.
2. Everyone has the right to defend their life and health, and the life and health of others, from unlawful attacks within the limits of necessary self-defense.
The full text of the document can be found here.
