DUSHANBE, October 9, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan does not intend to revoke the death penalty moratorium that was introduced in the country in 2004, the head of the Supreme Court Nusratullo Abdulloyev told reporters in Dushanbe today, commenting on proposal of a number of high-ranking state officials in Kyrgyzstan to revoke the death penalty moratorium there.
“It is their right, however, I think one of the most important achievements made by Tajikistan in the field of right and freedoms of human being and citizen over the years of sovereignty is introduction of the death penalty moratorium,” Abdulloyev said.
We will recall that Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament (Majlisi Oli) unanimously adopted a moratorium on the death penalty on June 2, 2004. The Majlisi Namoyandagon set no end date for the moratorium and the stiffest penalty in the Tajik Penal Code now is 25 years in prison. In 2003, Tajikistan reduced the scope of the death penalty by decreasing the number of crimes punishable by death from 15 to five and revoking its use against women and minors.
