Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Alizade / On 8 May the Azerbaijan Parliament adopted a draft law on Amnesty initiated by MP Mehriban Aliyeva, the President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The Chairman of Parliament's Commission on State Establishment and Legal Policy, Ali Huseynov, said that the document envisages the release of 1,500 convicts and reducing the imprisonment sentence of 7,500 prisoners. He stressed that the amnesty will only be given to those who do not present a serious danger to society, including women who were convicted for petty crimes, disabled people, men over the age of 60, convicts who were aged under 18 years at the time of their crime, those who participated in the fight for independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, relatives of people who died or are missing in their fight for independence, people who were expelled from Armenia as a result of ethnic cleansing, terror and genocide policy in 1943-1953 and 1998, convicts who became internally displaced as a result of occupation of the Azerbaijani land by Armenia in 1988-1993 and convicts who became disabled after the 20 January tragedy and Khojaly genocide, etc.
Nineteen parliamentarians, including opposition members presented speeches supporting the adoption of the draft law. The draft law was adopted with 112 votes. The Amnesty Act will be implemented within three months.
The amnesty acts have been realized in Azerbaijan since 1995 with 7 amnesty acts being adopted over the reported period and 32 orders have been issued on pardon. These acts have affected 77,000 people.
The draft law on Amnesty was put forward for discussion due to the 84th anniversary of ex-President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.