The illustration is unrelated to the article. [Herald DB]
The illustration is unrelated to the article. [Herald DB]

Uzbekistan is moving to impose life sentences on those convicted of raping children under the age of 14, authorities said.

Uzbekistan's lower house of parliament recently passed an amendment to the country's child protection law containing the measure, Yonhap said Thursday, citing Uzbek media outlets including UzDaily.

The amendment would also abolish the statute of limitations for child sexual assault, preventing perpetrators from escaping criminal liability or punishment on the grounds that the limitation period has expired.

It also requires that investigations involving child victims be recorded on video, and that any confrontation between a victim and a suspect or perpetrator be conducted under special procedures.

In addition, guardians and representatives of state agencies responsible for victims' rights would be required to participate in investigations and legal proceedings.

The amendment further stipulates that child victims and underage witnesses receive state-funded legal support.

The lower house took up the amendment amid public outrage over the rape of a 5-year-old girl by a staff member at a state-run kindergarten in Namangan Province in eastern Uzbekistan.

The perpetrator has been detained.

The amendment still awaits review by the upper house and the president's signature.

The case has also reignited calls in Uzbekistan for the introduction of the death penalty for child rapists. However, capital punishment is banned under the constitution, meaning any such change would require constitutional reform.

Under current Uzbek law, those convicted of raping children under 14 face prison sentences of 15 to 20 years.

Singapore earlier moved to toughen penalties for 'dangerous offenders'

Meanwhile, Singapore in January 2024 moved to introduce a system allowing the continued detention of "dangerous offenders" — including those convicted of rape — beyond the end of their prison terms, depending on their rehabilitation progress.

The Singapore government submitted to parliament a bill introducing what it called the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (Sepp), aimed at shielding the public from serious offenders, Yonhap said at the time, citing the Straits Times and other foreign media.

The measure targeted individuals aged 21 or older convicted of "high-risk" sex crimes and violent offenses, including rape, attempted murder and culpable homicide.

Offenders subject to the law would receive sentences of five to 20 years from a court but would not be automatically released upon completing their terms. Release would require authorities to determine that the person posed no risk to society; otherwise, their cases would be reviewed annually to decide whether to free them — leaving open the possibility of indefinite imprisonment.

Parliament passed an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code incorporating the Sepp the following month.

At the time, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam told parliament that offenders who continued to pose a substantial risk to others should not be freed, pointing to cases in which individuals had repeated acts of "serious abuse" shortly after their release.


yul@heraldcorp.com