Interfax

Tajikistan cancels death penalty for women

Tajik parliamentarians have backed the proposal made by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov to cancel the death penalty for women, the presidential press service told Interfax on Tuesday.

The parliamentarians have approved the presidential bill on changes and amendments to the Criminal Code of Tajikistan, which proposes to reduce the number of crimes punishable by death from 15 to 5.

"The bill, which was proposed by the president, is aimed at continuing the reform of the legal system," Dzhurakhon Kabirov, chairman of the parliamentary committee on the constitution, legislation and human rights, told Interfax.

Under the new Criminal Code, death penalty will be imposed for crimes such as premeditated murder, rape of a person under the age of 14, terrorism, and genocide, Kabirov said.