The introduction of life prison sentences in Kazakhstan...

The introduction of life prison sentences in Kazakhstan for those who commit grave crimes would facilitate the full abolition of the death penalty in the country, Kazakh Justice Minister Onalsyn Zhumabekov said. "The introduction of life imprisonment could and should significantly influence the narrowing of the field of application of the death penalty," Zhumabekov said at a session of the presidential council on legal policy. After Kazakhstan introduced the maximum punishment of up to 20 years in prison for premeditated murder and up to 30 years in prison in aggregate for several crimes, the number of death sentences halved, Zhumabekov said. "Hence, we have every reason to believe that the introduction of life imprisonment will minimize the number of death sentences, which would be a precondition for imposing first a moratorium on the death penalty and then its full abolition," he said. At the same session, Kazakh Interior Minister Kairbek Suleimenov said that imposing a moratorium on the death penalty would not go against the country's interests and complies with its legal policy concept. Kazakh Prosecutor General Rashid Tusupbekov, however, said it would be too early to introduce life imprisonment in Kazakhstan within the next several years.