A tragedy in Namangan reignites Uzbekistan's death-penalty debate
After a case involving a five-year-old girl, Presidential Administration head Saida Mirziyoyeva called for applying the death penalty; rights defenders stress it will not return.
A case of violence against a five-year-old girl at a state kindergarten in the Namangan region has shaken Uzbekistan and reignited a public debate over punishments for such crimes — including the death penalty.
What happened
According to official information, the incident took place at a state kindergarten in the Uchkurgan district of Namangan region. A criminal case was opened on September 12; the suspect — the kindergarten's maintenance head — was detained the same day and placed in custody by court order. Details have been withheld to protect the investigation.
The Children's Ombudsman asked the Ministry of Preschool and School Education to conduct a safety review, and checks began across state kindergartens. The National Agency for Social Protection said it was providing psychological and rehabilitation support to the victim.
What Saida Mirziyoyeva said
Presidential Administration head Saida Mirziyoyeva responded on September 27 via her Telegram channel. She said the death penalty should, in her view, apply to such crimes, and stressed that alongside the perpetrator, officials 'whose negligence allowed this tragedy' would also be held accountable. She said proposals are being prepared to amend legislation and strengthen liability for crimes against children to the fullest extent.
Would the death penalty return
Uzbekistan abolished the death penalty on January 1, 2008, and Article 25 of the Constitution prohibits it; restoring it would require a constitutional amendment. The Children's Ombudsman proposed introducing life imprisonment for serious sexual crimes.
Rights defenders' caution
Abdurakhmon Tashanov, head of the Ezgulik human rights society, cautioned against reading Mirziyoyeva's remarks as the start of a campaign to restore capital punishment, stressing the death penalty would not be reinstated. The debate thus split into two lines: those favouring maximum penalties and those defending the constitutional ban.
