Article 15. A citizen of Tajikistan shall be considered the person who become the citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan on the day of adoption of the Constitution. Belonging to the citizenship of Tajikistan and the citizenship of another state shall be not recognized, except in cases indicated by law and interstate treaties of Tajikistan. The Constitutional Law shall define the procedure for acquiring and forfeiting citizenship. Article 16. A citizen of Tajikistan outside the country shall be protected by the state. No citizen of the republic shall be extradited to a foreign state. Extradition of a criminal to a foreign state shall be resolved on the basis of mutual agreement. Foreign citizens and stateless persons shall enjoy the rights and liberties and have the responsibilities and duties of citizens of Tajikistan except in cases stipulated by law. Tajikistan shall offer political asylum to foreign citizens whose human rights are violated. Article 17. All people shall be equal before the law and the court of law. The state shall guarantee the rights and liberties for every person irrespective of his nationality, race, sex, language, religious beliefs, political persuasion, knowledge, social and property status. Men and women shall have equal rights. Article 18. Everyone shall have the right to life. No one shall be deprived of life except by order of the court for especially grave crimes. The state shall guarantee the inviolability of a person. No one shall be subjected to torture, punishment, and inhuman treatment. It shall be prohibited to subject a person to forced medical or scientific experiments. Article 19. Everyone shall be guaranteed judicial protection. Everyone shall be entitled to consider his case by competent, independent, and impartial court established according the law. No one shall be kept in custody, arrested without a legal basis. Everyone shall be entitled to use the assistance of advocate from the moment of his arrest. Article 20. No one shall be considered guilty of a crime except by the sentence of a court in accordance with the law. No one shall be responsible after the expiry of the term of criminal prosecution as well as for the action, which is in the moment of its perpetration, is not regarded as a crime. No one shall be convicted twice for one and the same crime.