MONGOLIA: PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY

the Mongolian Parliament approved a bill that aims to scrap the death penalty. The bill, which ratifies the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), was passed by a large majority of MPs.
The death penalty remains part of the law in Mongolia until the Mongolian Parliament removes provisions in national legislation that still retain the death penalty.
The Mongolian Criminal Code currently provides for death penalty for offenses including terrorism, genocide, rape, sabotage, premeditated murder and assassination of a State or public figure. Under these offenses, 59 crimes are listed as capital crimes.
"The Mongolian Parliament's vote today is another vital step forward, and Mongolia should follow up by immediately implementing laws that abolish the death penalty altogether," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific Director.
On 14 January 2010, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj announced a moratorium on the death penalty, a move that human rights groups welcomed as a step toward changing Mongolian law to ban executions permanently. For this reason, in October last year, Hands Off Cain decided to confer “The Abolitionist of the Year” Award for 2011 upon President of Mongolia Tsakhia Elbegdorj.