Kyrgyzstan proposes life imprisonment for femicide and abolishing amnesty

Zhogorku Kenesh deputy Bakytgul Amanova has submitted a bill for public discussion proposing to separate femicide into a distinct crime and toughen punishment for the murder of women.

The document provides for the introduction of a new article "Murder of a woman (femicide)" into the Criminal Code. It proposes to define it as the murder of a woman motivated by gender discrimination, the murder of a pregnant woman, murder involving rape or violent sexual acts, as well as driving a woman to suicide or inducing her to commit suicide if it results in death. Such crimes are proposed to carry life imprisonment with mandatory confiscation of property.

In addition, the bill proposes to prohibit the application of amnesty to persons who have committed crimes resulting in the death of a woman.

The explanatory note states that in 2024, 155 criminal cases were opened in Kyrgyzstan for murders, of which 33 involved women. In 2025, 158 murders were registered, including 37 women as victims. The author of the initiative believes that these data indicate the need to strengthen criminal liability.

According to the developer, separating femicide into a distinct crime will strengthen the protection of women and help prevent such crimes. The bill also provides for the mandatory confiscation of property of those convicted of femicide.

Source: 24kg