DUSHANBE, April 15, 2014, Asia-Plus -- A Regional Conference “Towards the Full Abolition of Death Penalty in Tajikistan: Experience of Central Asian Countries” is taking place in Dushanbe today.

Organized by NGO League of Women Lawyers of Tajikistan under support of Penal Reform International (PRI), the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan and the Tajik Branch Office of the Open Society Institute-Assistance Foundation (OSI/AF-Tajikistan), the conference reportedly brought together international experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan as well as representatives from the Executive Office of the President of Tajikistan, Tajikistan Ombudsman Office, civil society and international organizations.

According to OSI/AF-Tajikistan, message of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan of April 30, 2004 was an important step towards the death penalty abolition in Tajikistan. The President in his Message announced moratorium for death penalty execution.  As the President said, “right to life is an indigenous value and nobody can deprive anybody of this right.”

The final result of the country’s democratic track was the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan on Suspension of Death Penalty Application in the Republic of Tajikistan on July 15, 2004 by the Parliament of Tajikistan, demonstrating the achievement of highest progress in ensuring the right to life.

Life is fundamental and the most valuable welfare of humankind, depriving of which can be irrevocable and mean end of existence of individual, personality and a member of society.  All other rights lose their essense and meaning in case of downfall of humankind since they anyway get united around this core right. Particularly for this reason the right to life should be under the highest level of protection.

Based on the above mentioned statement and given the existing large-scope theoretical and empirical date it is possible to confirm the theory, which allows the death penalty abolition in Tajikistan.

League of Women Lawyers of Tajikistan has been a member of the World Coalition against Death Penalty since 2011.  During almost three years, through the Swiss Cooperation Office Human Rights Program, the League has been implementing a project aimed at increasing public awareness on death penalty abolition challenges in Tajikistan.