Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev on Wednesday signed a bill, completely abolishing the death penalty in the country, the presidency said in a statement.
Last week, Kazakhstan’s parliament had passed the bill that would abolish capital punishment, a move that would mark a significant policy change for the Central Asian country, according to local reports.
President #Tokayev of ?? signs Law on abolishing death penalty and Law on Commissioner for Human Rights,expanding powers of Ombudsperson. These laws further ensure political modernization and protection of human rights in #Kazakhstan. #AbolishDeathPenalty.https://t.co/1cLmCe4yo7
— MFA Kazakhstan ?? (@MFA_KZ) December 29, 2021
The law completely excluded the death penalty from the country’s Criminal Code.
On Jan. 2, 2021, Tokayev signed a decree ratifying the UN’s Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
