Capital punishment in Turkmenistan

Capital punishment in Turkmenistan was originally allowed under Article 20 of the 1992 Constitution, where it was described as "an exceptional punishment for the heaviest of crimes".[1] In December 1999, a presidential decree abolished capital punishment "forever".[2]

Prior to abolition, Turkmenistan had one of the highest rates of execution per capita in the world; in 1996 the country carried out at least 400 executions.[3] Executions were carried out by shooting in the basement of BL-T/5 Prison in Türkmenbaşy, which was the only prison in the country equipped with a death row.[4] The last execution occurred in 1997.

In the 2003 Constitution, Article 20 reads: "The death penalty in Turkmenistan is completely abolished and banned forever by the first President of Turkmenistan Great Saparmurat Türkmenbaşy".[5]

Turkmenistan is a member of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty.[6] The death penalty was replaced with 25 years imprisonment, but laws were later amended to allow for life imprisonment.

References

  1. ^ 1992 Constitution of Turkmenistan Archived 2015-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, unofficial English translation, University of Texas at Arlington, URL accessed 27 December 2006
  2. ^ Abolition of capital punishment in Turkmenistan Archived 2016-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, Presidential Decree 3003, 28 December 1999 (in Russian)
  3. ^ https://www.hrw.org/legacy/worldreport/Helsinki-24.htm
  4. ^ "Борис Шихмурадов был убит во время правления Ниязова". 12 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Госсимволика - «Туркменистан: золотой век»". www.turkmenistan.gov.tm. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ^ Ratification of Second Optional Protocol on abolition of death penalty


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