Kazakhstan completely abolishes death penalty

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed amendments to legislation on the abolition of the death penalty, Report informs citing the Kazakh presidential press service.

Tokayev on January 2, 2021, ratified the second optional protocol to the international covenant on civil and political rights, aimed at abolishing the death penalty. At that time, Kazakhstan ratified the protocol with a reservation, retaining the right to use the death penalty in wartime for committing serious crimes of a military nature. In November, Tokayev expressed the opinion that the republic should abolish the death penalty without any reservations about the possibility of its use for war crimes.

The signed law amended the criminal, criminal procedure, penal codes, and a number of laws. In the Criminal Code, the article “death penalty” as an exceptional measure of punishment is completely excluded.