Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr. 2 / Trend , K.Zarbaliyeva/
The amnesty bill adopted before Novruz upon the initiative of Azerbaijani First Lady and member of parliament Mehriban Aliyeva has released 350 convicts, the Penitentiary Service Public Relations Department told Trend on April 2.
The act will cover 9,000 convicts; 1,700 inmates will be released from prison.
Enforcement of the bill will take four months.
Prisoners whose sentences are ending or who suffer from serious illnesses are being released first, the service said.
The bill will release over 5,000 persons sentenced to prison and community service, Justice Ministry Court Officers Department Director Khanlar Zeynalov told Trend on Apr. 2.
The justice minister recently signed a decree to timely execute the bill, he said.
The amnesty covered many convicts, Zeynalov said.
Eight amnesty acts have been applied since 1995 concerning 80,000 prisoners.
Over 39,000 have been released.
Earlier, the parliament approved Aliyeva's bill in May 2007.
The bill concerned roughly 9,000 prisoners and discharged 1,500.
In accordance with 45 signed pardon decrees, 4,858 people have been set free since 1994.
President Ilham Aliyev has signed 13 decrees and national leader Heydar Aliyev - 32.
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