To Russia, this event is interesting primarily from the point of view of the ongoing overhaul of its criminal enforcement system and the improvement of related legislation, Yakovenko said. According to him, this country has made substantial progress in this area in recent time.
The moratorium on the execution of death sentences has been in effect in Russia since 1996, the diplomat recalled. And when joining the Council of Europe, this country committed itself to abolishing the death penalty (ratifying Protocol 6 to the European Human Rights Convention).
The Protocol was submitted to Russia's State Duma [the lower house of parliament] for ratification back in 1999, but the procedure has been dragging on since then owing to certain social and political reasons, Yakovenko said. But the December 2003 parliamentary polls changed the situation, creating conditions to step up the process of ratifying Protocol 6, he indicated.
Yakovenko is looking forward to the Dushanbe forum as a nice opportunity for officials from Central Asian nations to share opinions on the death penalty, an issue currently on the agenda of most international and regional organizations, such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
According to the Russian diplomat, Central Asia's human rights record still leaves much to be desired, and the forthcoming conference will make it possible for regional leaders to compare stances on the humanization of their national enforcement systems.
