Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Feb.16 / Trend H. Hasanov /
A pardon decree was signed in Turkmenistan in honor of the Flag Day, which is celebrated on Feb.19, an official Turkmen source said on Saturday.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov signed a decree "On pardoning of prisoners in honor of the Day of National Flag of Turkmenistan", releasing the pardoned persons from subsequent serving of the main and additional penalty in form of duties to live in a particular place.
The document says the decree is dictated by "the principles of charity, philanthropy, justice and humanism bequeathed to us by great ancestors with a view to further strengthen the unity and cohesion of the Turkmen society and every family".
The relevant law enforcement agencies are instructed to ensure all pardoned citizens' return to home and be at their homes with their families.
"These people have a chance to return to a worthy life and with honest work to expiate their guilt, actively contributing to the large-scale reforms that are launched in our country," the Turkmen leader said at a government meeting in Ashgabat.
The President wished "pardoned citizens to work honestly for the motherland, to take care of their families and live, using the fruits of their honest labor".
The president gave instructions to provide those pardoned with jobs.