The Parliament of Kyrgyzstan overcame the Kyrgyz President's veto on amendments to the Penal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic and subsequently passed the Law "On Changes of the Penal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic" in the initial version, the Press Service of Jogorku Kenesh (the Parliament), reported on Thursday.
At a meeting on Thursday, MPs examined the President's objecting the Law "On Changes of the Penal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic", KyrTAG reported.
"Following the results of the examination, MPs backed the conclusion by the Parliament's Law Enforcement and Anti-Corruption Committee, under which the Parliament is advised not to agree with the President's objecting the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Changes of the Penal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic" and pass the law in the initial version," the Press Service reported.
The Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "On Changes of the Penal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic", initiated by a number of MPs, was developed to tighten struggle with cattle stealing through severing punishment for this crime.
As for this Law, the President submitted his objection stating that passage of the law in the initial version would lead to disproportionate sanctions for theft crimes.
Particularly, the objection of the head of state reads that law-envisioned sanctions are disproportionate to the existing sanctions for thefts and robbery. In other words, an open theft of someone else's property, including cattle is punished by 2-year imprisonment at a time when cattle stealing is punished by 3 to 5 years in prison. In addition, theft of a large sum of money is punished by 3 to 5 years in prison while large-scale cattle stealing is punished by 5 to 8 years in prison.
The amendments to the Kyrgyz Penal Code envisioned tightening of criminal responsibility through prolongation of minimum and maximum lengths of imprisonment. The Law accentuates the significance of the subject of such crimes - cattle - which is the only source of survival for many in Kyrgyzstan. Thus, theft of even one head of cattle does a heavier damage that property stealing. The fact is also taken into account that cattle stealing has lately been acquiring the across-the-border nature.