From 30 June to 2 July 2026, the 9th World Congress against the Death Penalty is being held in Paris, organized by the organized by the French association “Together Against the Death Penalty” with the support of the Government of France, the European Union, the Council of Europe and a number of international partners. About this reports MFA of Turkmenistan.

The programme of the Congress includes the official opening ceremony, plenary sessions, round tables, thematic working meetings, bilateral meetings, as well as the closing ceremony and the presentation of international awards.

An official delegation of Turkmenistan headed by the Authorized Representative of Turkmenistan for Human Rights – Ombudswoman Yazdursun Gurbannazarova is participating in the work of the Congress. The delegation also includes representative of the Institute of State, Law and Democracy of Turkmenistan Hallygul Tuvakova and Ambassador of Turkmenistan to France M. Charyyev.

One of the key events of the Congress was the official opening ceremony, during which, following his address, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron welcomed the heads of national delegations participating in the Congress. During a brief conversation, he also welcomed the Ombudswoman of Turkmenistan Yazdursun Gurbannazarova and expressed gratitude to the Turkmen side for its participation in this international event.

During the plenary sessions, the consistent policy of Turkmenistan in the field of protecting the human right to life was highlighted. Particular attention was paid to the fact that the death penalty in Turkmenistan was fully abolished on 28 December 1999, following the introduction of a moratorium on 6 January 1999.

It was emphasized that Turkmenistan became the first state in Central Asia to fully abolish the death penalty, which represented an important historical and legal step in the development of the national human rights protection system.