Azerbaijan`s parliament passes Amnesty Act

Baku, May 20, AZERTAC The parliament of Azerbaijan has unanimously passed a bill declaring amnesty on the occasion of May 28th Republic Day, which was submitted by president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva. In his opening remarks at the parliament’s special session, first vice-speaker Ziyafat Asgarov said 61 pardon decrees had been signed and 10 amnesty acts passed in Azerbaijan since 1995. “Three of these amnesty acts have been initiated and submitted by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. A couple of days ago first lady Mehriban Aliyeva submitted the fourth amnesty act to the Milli Majlis,” he said. President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva said nearly 30,000 convicts had had their punishments terminated under the amnesty acts submitted by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation since 2007. The Amnesty Act will affect 10,000 people, and 3,500 convicts will be released from detention facilities. Under the Act, the following types of inmates will be released: all those incarcerated for crimes that do not pose serious public danger, women indicted for less serious offences, those who were aged under 18 when they committed a crime, disabled people, men who turned 60, those who have underage or first or second group disabled children under their charge, those who participated in the battles for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, those who were forcedly resettled from their native lands as a result of occupation of part of Azerbaijan`s territory, as well as people of other categories. Others to have their punishment terminated under the Act include: those whose unserved part of the prison term is not above one year, all those sentenced to community service and corrective labor, those fined, those who face a suspended sentence or are put on probation, and inmates of other categories.