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Child protection

Uzbekistan Considers Life Imprisonment for Child Sexual Offenses

Uzbekistan is considering life imprisonment for rape and certain other violent sexual offenses involving children under the age of 14. A bill introducing this penalty and other measures to protect minors has passed its first reading in the lower house of parliament. The Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis approved the bill on September 29. It proposes lengthy prison terms or life imprisonment for these offenses. Under current law, the rape of a child under 14 is punishable by 15 to 20 years in prison. The proposed amendments would also eliminate certain limitation periods for sexual offenses against children, preventing offenders from avoiding criminal liability or punishment because the prescribed period has expired. During the parliamentary debate, lawmaker Gulrukh Agzamova said 445 criminal cases involving the rape of children under 14 had been opened in Uzbekistan between 2022 and 2025. Under the proposed changes, questioning of child victims would be video-recorded, while face-to-face confrontations between a child and a suspect or defendant would be conducted under a special procedure. If someone close to the child is suspected of violence, additional safeguards would apply. A guardian or a state body responsible for protecting the child’s rights and interests would then be required to participate in the investigation and court proceedings. Child victims and minor witnesses would also be provided with state-funded legal assistance. The bill was debated amid public outrage over a case involving the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl at a state kindergarten in the Uchqurgan district of the eastern Namangan region. The case has revived debate over the death penalty in Uzbekistan. On September 27, Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration, called for capital punishment for such crimes. The death penalty is prohibited by Uzbekistan’s Constitution, meaning its reinstatement would require a constitutional amendment. The push for tougher penalties, however, predates the high-profile case in Namangan. Uzbekistan’s Strategy for Protecting Children from All Forms of Violence for 2026-2030 includes proposals to increase penalties for sexual crimes against children under 14, up to life imprisonment. Following its first reading, the bill will continue through the parliamentary process.

death penalty

Kyrgyz Authorities Open Public Debate on Death Penalty Bill

Following a series of high-profile murders and sexual assaults targeting young women, Kyrgyz authorities have initiated a public discussion on the possible reinstatement of the death penalty for convicted murderers and rapists. President Sadyr Japarov proposed the nationwide debate in response to growing public outrage. The president’s office has prepared a draft bill that would allow for the introduction of capital punishment for particularly grave crimes committed against women and children. “Currently, Kyrgyzstan is witnessing an increase in particularly serious crimes against children and women, including rape and murder involving rape, which are causing deep concern to both society and the state,” reads the explanatory note to the document. According to the bill, its primary aim is to protect the lives and health of women and children from violent crimes. The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan identifies life and health as the highest values of the state, while guaranteeing special protection of citizens’ sexual integrity. The authors of the bill also reference the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 48/104 on December 20, 1993, which calls on member states to develop legal measures, including criminal and administrative sanctions, to combat physical and sexual violence against women. Statistics from the Prosecutor General’s Office indicate a steady rise in violent crimes in recent years. In 2021, there were 39 murders; 36 of the victims were women and three were children. By 2024, the number had increased to 43 (34 women and nine children). In the first eight months of 2025 alone, 28 people were killed. Official data also show that more than 80 women, most of them minors, are raped each year. A large proportion of such crimes remain unreported or unresolved, as families often avoid publicizing the cases due to stigma and fear of reprisal. The draft legislation proposes reinstating the death penalty only for two categories of crimes: the rape of minors and murders committed in conjunction with rape. “The facts of violence against children and the murder of women accompanied by rape no longer shock society, it is becoming commonplace, and that is alarming,” the bill’s authors stated. Public consultation on the proposal will continue until October 28, with parliamentary consideration scheduled until November 4. Kyrgyzstan formally abolished the death penalty in 2007; the last execution was carried out in 1998. In December 2010, the country ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, committing to the eventual and permanent abolition of capital punishment.

death penalty

Japarov Orders Death Penalty for Rape of Minors

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has ordered the drafting of legislation to reinstate the death penalty for the most serious crimes against children and women, following national outrage over the murder of a teenage girl. The presidential press office announced that Japarov has instructed Murat Ukushev, head of legal affairs in the presidential administration, to prepare amendments making the rape of minors, and rape followed by murder, punishable by death. The move is significant given that Kyrgyzstan abolished capital punishment in law in 2007. In a statement published on Facebook, presidential spokesman Askhat Alagozov referred to the “brutal murder” of a young girl named Aisuluu, noting the wave of public anger the case provoked. “Crimes committed against children and women should not go unpunished,” he wrote, adding that Japarov has taken personal responsibility for ensuring legal and law enforcement reforms. In neighboring Uzbekistan, lawmakers have also moved to tighten penalties for crimes involving minors. The Uzbek Senate recently approved a law raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 13 to 14, while also lengthening prison terms for sexual offenses involving children. In March, a bill was proposed to criminalize the possession of child pornography. Japarov’s push to reintroduce the death penalty marks a sharp break from the region’s general move toward abolition. Uzbekistan ended executions in 1999, and Kyrgyzstan formally codified its abolition in 2007, according to the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center.