Death_Penalty_2005_nowy.qxd 2005-09-08 17:00 Page 31 TAJIKISTAN Moratorium On 30 April 2004, the president of Tajikistan announced the introduction of a moratorium on executions and signed a subsequent law to that effect on 15 July 2004. The moratorium, which was applicable from the day of its announcement, is not limited to a specific time frame but has been put in place indefinitely. The moratorium applies to those who were sentenced to death prior to 30 April 2004 and to those convicted of crimes for which the death penalty is envisaged after 30 April 2004. In the former case, death sentences were to be commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment; in the latter case, a sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment was to be passed as opposed to the death penalty. As indicated above, however, life imprisonment was also introduced on 1 March 2005 as an alternative to the death penalty. Official statistics were not provided. The death sentences of at least two individuals (Bakhrom Khomidov and Zarif Sattorov) were commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment. Method of execution Shooting96 STATISTICS Access to statistics on the death penalty Official statistics on sentences and executions are not made public.97 Death sentences None98 Executions None99 96 97 98 99 Article 219(2), Criminal Executive Code, 6 August 2001. This article also provides that executions shall not be carried out in public. Article 9 (22), Law “On the enumeration of information constituting a state secret”, 10 May 2002. No official statistics were provided. No official statistics were provided. 31