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Kyrgyzstan Ends the Death Penalty

The Central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan today ended the death penalty once and for all.

Kyrgyzstan's president effectively ended the use of the death penalty in this ex-Soviet republic by extending a moratorium on the punishment until its planned abolition, a presidential spokesman said Friday.

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed the decree Thursday aiming "to humanize and liberalize" the criminal code and urged parliament to support plans to do away with the death penalty, said presidential spokesman Dosali Esenaliyev.

A moratorium has been in place in Kyrgyzstan since 1998. Where is Kyrgyzstan? Right next to Uzbekistan (see this map.) There was a revolution in Kyrgyzstan in March, spurred by protests. Hopefully, it will spread to its authoritarian, torturous neighbor soon.

Bakiyev was elected president in July. The country has 5 million people, 75% of whom are Sunni Muslims. There is a 99% literacy rate for men, and 96% for women. (Stats here.)

You can read more about Krgyzstan here.

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    Re: Kyrgyzstan Ends the Death Penalty (none / 0) (#1)
    by scarshapedstar on Fri Dec 30, 2005 at 06:38:09 PM EST
    Hopefully, it will spread to its authoritarian, torturous neighbor soon.
    And maybe then it'll spread to the United States of America.

    Re: Kyrgyzstan Ends the Death Penalty (none / 0) (#2)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 31, 2005 at 12:54:03 PM EST
    hats off to kyrgyzstan. what's the national inebriant? cheers!! may this civilized mindset reach our shores soon.