Two vice-speakers of the Legislative (lower) chamber of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of Uzbekistan expressed contrasting views on reinstatement of the death penalty for serious crimes. Their statements came in response to news of a man in Tashkent who murdered his cohabitant’s three-year-old child.
Alisher Qodirov, who is head of Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) democratic party, stated on his Telegram channel that “a person who commits an atrocity against an infant should not live”.
He recalled another recent incident where a young man was stabbed 20 times. The court sentenced the 25-year-old convicted to 17 years in prison.
“The question is, what will this 25-year-old monster be like when he returns to society at 42? It is illogical to sit and wait that a hardened criminal will transform into a normal person, while we have to care for his health and feed him from our taxes,” the deputy stated.
“We need to cleanse our society of such individuals! Are we obligated to adjust to those who teach the world about humanity, turning a blind eye to the murders of children and innocent people?” he urged.
The party leader also expressed an opinion that those committing such crimes become “monsters” who set an example for future “pro-monsters”.
Odiljon Tojiyev, deputy speaker for interaction with the media, expressed disagreement with this position.
According to him, statements calling for someone not to be allowed to live are equal to calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty.
“I am completely against such proposal, which may seem fair and acceptable at first glance,” he stated.
Firstly, this could lead to the loss of life of innocent people convicted due to biased investigation or a wrongful verdict, the deputy noted.
“No matter how just a court’s decision may seem, there have been numerous cases where it turned out over the years that the true criminal was someone else,” the vice-speaker wrote on his Telegram-channel.
Secondly, the death penalty does not affect the level of crime, vice-speaker continued.
“One of the effective deterrents to crime is not the severity of punishment, but its inevitability,” Odiljon Tojiyev stated.
“Moreover, if we sentence to death a person who took another person’s life, we will not differ from those cruel individuals,” he wrote.
“I believe that the state has no right to take a life it did not give. To live is a natural right!” the deputy declared, adding that those who advocate for the reinstatement of the death penalty should be given the Constitution as a dift.
