KYRGYZ JUSTICE MINISTER IN FAVOUR OF ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY

December 2, 2006: "The abolition of the death penalty in Kyrgyzstan is fully in line with the mentality of the Kyrgyz people,” Kyrgyz Justice Minister Marat Kayypov said at a news conference.
“Article 14 of the new edition of the Kyrgyz constitution says that nobody can arbitrarily be killed in Kyrgyzstan. Following the constitution, we will seek the revision of 165 criminal cases which ended with death penalty verdicts. We suggest the introduction of life imprisonment, but this does not mean that a person will be in prison until the end of his or her life," he said. "Only the abolition of the death penalty can guarantee that we do not kill an innocent person,” he added. (Sources: 24.kg website via BBC Monitoring Central Asia, 02/12/2006)