President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed the Law of Turkmenistan "On approval and introduction of the Criminal Procedural Code". The text of the Code was published in the Turkmen press today.

In accordance with the law, the Criminal Procedural Code will take effect on 1 July 2009. Starting from that date, the Criminal Procedural Code of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, which was adopted on December 22, 1961, as well as all laws, amending and supplementing the Criminal Procedural Code of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic in the period from December 22, 1961, to July 1, 2009, become invalid.

The Ministry of Justice was given one month to prepare proposals to make amendments to the legislation of Turkmenistan arising from the Criminal Procedural Code and to submit them to the Majlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan in the established manner.

"Following the entry into force of the Criminal Procedural Code, the above mentioned laws and normative-legal acts awaiting alignment with the new Criminal Procedural Code are valid as long as they do not contradict with the Code" the document says.