Tajik Lawmakers Endorse Life Sentences

Dushanbe, 30 November 2004 -- Tajikistan's lower house of parliament today endorsed amendments providing for life imprisonment as an alternative to capital punishment.
The penalty would apply to those found guilty of violating five articles of Tajikistan's criminal code, including rape, murder, terrorism, and genocide, which according to Tajik law were punishable by death.

In April, Tajikistan began observing a moratorium on the death penalty, replacing it with a 25-year prison term.

(RFE/RL/Asia Plus)