Azerbaijan, Baku, November 19 / Trend , V.Zhavoronkova/
Re-introducing the death penalty will not improve security in the country but strongly damage Kyrgyzstan's international reputation and give a further blow to human rights, Andrea Berg, Central Asia Researcher, wrote in an email to Trend .
In Kyrgyzstan, the discussion began again to resume use the death penalty in the Republic. Currently, the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan has been abolished and replaced by life imprisonment. Kyrgyzstan Ak Jol parliamentary faction did not support the bill on the accession of Kyrgyzstan to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming eliminating the death penalty, adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 44/128 on Dec. 15, 1989.
"Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because it is a punishment of an inherently cruel, inhuman and final nature," Berg said.
"Therefore we are concerned about the current discussion in Kyrgyzstan to re-introduce the death penalty," she said.
According to Berg, unfortunately it is only one expression of an overall worrying trend to restrict human rights in Kyrgyzstan and certainly sends a wrong signal.
"Instead, it would be more important to conduct important reforms such as strengthening the judiciary, implement OSCE recommendations on the conduct of trials including investigation of all allegations of torture and hold accountable those found guilty of ill-treating detainees," Berg.
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