The Committee of the Jogorku Kenesh, which deals with issues of the judicial system, law enforcement, and the fight against corruption, has initially reviewed a draft law that proposes the restoration of the recidivism institution.
According to Konkubaeva, there is a general decline in the crime rate in the country; however, there has been an increase in cases of theft and fraud. She noted: “Recidivism was removed because a person who stole a chicken could be sentenced to 5 years in prison, while corrupt officials could get away with a fine of 5,000 soms. By reintroducing recidivism, we can tighten the punishment: for repeated theft, one could receive up to 7 years in prison. The victim can file a counterclaim for damages, but we will still apply strict measures.”
Konkubaeva also emphasized that the concept of recidivism might be worth preserving, but it is necessary to review the terms of punishment and eliminate contradictory norms.
She pointed out the existence of provisions that contradict the Constitution, which states that no one can be punished twice for the same crime. If Parliament adopts the draft law, the expert review may return it with comments.
The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Erkebek Ashirkhodzhaev, for his part, stated that there are no contradictions with the Constitution since the draft law only proposes to tighten the punishment, and the terms of imprisonment can be reviewed and adjusted if necessary.
