Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry has submitted a bill aimed at restoring the concept of recidivism to the Criminal Code and limiting the liability of civil servants if their actions are deemed to protect national security. The proposal has sparked heated debate in both parliament and the public.

Proposed Changes

The draft law would reintroduce harsher penalties for repeat offenders. Recidivism, abolished in 2019 to ensure fairer treatment of convicted criminals, would once again become a legal category. According to the explanatory note, the earlier reform failed to yield the desired outcomes.

“The abolition of the concept of recidivism did not have the expected effect,” the note states. “Excluding harsher liability for members of organized criminal groups, who are often repeat offenders, has enabled them to consolidate and expand their influence.”

According to the bill’s proponents, nearly 90% of inmates in Kyrgyzstan have prior convictions. They argue that current parole and probation policies treat repeat offenders too leniently.

Combating organized crime has been a major priority in recent years. Dozens of so-called ‘thieves-in-law’ have been detained or neutralized, and suspects are now publicly compelled to renounce their criminal status. President Sadyr Japarov has already signed a law criminalizing the support or financing of criminal organizations.

“Organized crime poses a serious threat to national security and affects virtually all sectors of society,” the Cabinet said.

Under the proposed legislation, penalties for recidivism would be no less than half the maximum sentence for a given crime. In cases of “particularly dangerous recidivism,” the minimum would be two-thirds. Moreover, reconciliation between victim and perpetrator would no longer be grounds for dismissal of charges.

Authorities claim the measures will deter crime and diminish the appeal of criminal subcultures, particularly among young people.

Public Criticism

The most controversial element of the bill, however, is a provision that would exempt individuals from criminal liability if their actions were taken in defense of national sovereignty, the constitutional order, or environmental, economic, informational, or other forms of security.

Former MP Felix Kulov criticized the vague language of the proposal on social media, warning it could lead to legal abuse. He cited a hypothetical case in which an environmental activist seriously injures or kills a litterer, arguing the act could be wrongly justified as “defending environmental security.”

“Such additions clearly do not belong in Article 18 of the Criminal Code,” Kulov wrote. “The code already includes provisions for exceeding the limits of necessary defense and abuse of authority, and these new clauses would contradict them.”

Current MP Dastan Bekeshev reacted more bluntly: “This is crazy. If the law is passed, what is the point of justice at all?”

The draft law is now under review in the parliament. If adopted, it would represent one of the most significant overhauls of Kyrgyzstan’s criminal legislation in recent years.