Summary
On 18 September 1997, the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) adopted its Criminal Code which included Article 374. Ecocide defined as the “massive destruction of the animal or plant kingdoms, contamination of the atmosphere or water resources, and also commission of other actions capable of causing an ecological catastrophe, shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of 12 to 20 years.”
Kyrgyzstan’s early adoption of ecocide is part of a larger trend in post-Soviet states during the 1990s and early 2000s to address large-scale environmental destruction in the wake of industrial and ecological struggles inherited from the USSR.
Related Initiatives
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/kyrgyz-republic-criminal-code-1997-ecocide/.
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