DUSHANBE, November 30, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s public associations have made an open appeal to President Emomali Rahmon, calling on him to abolish the death penalty.
The appeal, in particular, notes that 66 capitals worldwide, and some 1,500 cities around the world are participating today in the initiative “Cities for Life, Cities against Death Penalty”
On November 11, 2010, the UN General Assembly renewed its call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for the third time in four years under the terms of a resolution approved in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).
The appeal authors note that Tajikistan’s support for the resolution is an important sign of the Tajik authorities’ adherence to the abolition of death penalty.
According to the Amnesty International report of 2010, the global trend shows decrease in the usage of the death penalty from 715 in 2009 to 527 in 2010.
The appeal is signed by representatives of the Nota Bene Public Association, Human Rights Center, Child’s Rights Center, Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century,” Bureau on Human Rights and Rule of Law (BHR), League of Women Lawyers of Tajikistan, Perspective+ Public Association, Association of Young Lawyers “Amparo,” Equal Opportunities Public Association.
We will recall Tajikistan introduced a moratorium on executions and the handing down of death sentences on July 15, 2004. The country’s legislation reduced the scope of its death penalty by limiting the number of crimes punishable by death from 15 to five and revoking its use against women and minors.
The Tajik delegation stated the clear political will to fully abolish capital punishment in the future at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on September 30, 2009. This commitment was reinforced again in April 2010, when President Emomali Rahmon established a working group with the aim of analyzing the social and legal aspects of abolishing the death penalty in Tajikistan. Several NGOs have supported the government’s intentions in this area through the development of projects aimed at raising awareness of the issue and engaging in a dialogue on abolishing the death penalty and the general question of the right to life.
On October 20, 2011, international organizations and representatives of Government of Tajikistan discussed the issues on death penalty in the course of roundtable on “From Moratorium towards Abolition of the Death Penalty in Tajikistan: Problems and Prospects.” The following topics were discussed in the course of the event: abolition of the death penalty in Tajikistan; activities of Working Group on studying social-legal aspects of abolition of the death penalty for 2010-2011; revision of recommendations for abolition of the death penalty in the context of consideration of the Universal Periodic Review; and civil society organizations activities for promotion of death penalty abolition. Also, there was a presentation of the web-site “Abolition of the Death Penalty in the Republic of Tajikistan.”
On the Cities for Life Day, November 30, cities around the world celebrate the first abolition of the death penalty by a European state, decreed by Peter Leopold Joseph of Habsburg-Lorraine in 1786 for his Grand Duchy of Tuscany. On this occasion the participating cities show their commitment for life and against the death penalty. On this day, participating cities illuminate a symbolic monument, such as the Atomium in Brussels, the Colosseum in Rome and the Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid. By this symbolic action, these cities demand a stay of all executions worldwide. This initiative is promoted by the Community of Sant”Egidio and supported by the main international human rights organizations, gathered in the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (Amnesty International, Ensemble contre la Peine de Mort, International Penal Reform, FIACAT).
