UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday warned that the reinstation of the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan would breach international law obligations.

Türk declared that the proposals to reintroduce the death penalty as a response to serious crimes should be discontinued. Kyrgyzstan should focus on “ensuring the effective protection of the law and adequate access to justice and redress. The answer must be a well-resourced, victim-centered approach to tackling violence, including sexual violence.”

The proposal to reintroduce the death penalty was sparked by the rape and murder of a girl in September 2025. In response, the Kyrgyz authorities have put forward a proposal to withdrawal from the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR-OP2)

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