Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 February /corr. Trend I.Alizade / A decree on amnesty may be signed in Azerbaijan in the near future. "The members of the Amnesty Commission received many appeals from the citizens. Probably a meeting of the Amnesty Commission will be held in the coming days and the appeals will be considered. At the same time, the list of the persons- who may be amnestied will be prepared," member of the Amnesty Commission under Azerbaijan President, MP Elmira Akhundova, reported to Trend on 29 February.
On 28 December 2007 the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed a decree on amnesty in honor of 31 December - Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis and the New Year. According to the Decree on Amnesty, 117 prisoners were released and the sentence period of two prisoners was decreased.
Akhundova said that at present serious work is going on in the amnesty sector of the Presidential Administration. "The amnesty sector has collected the documents and is considering the received applications," he said.
Answering the question regarding the possibility of signing a decree on amnesty in March - on the eve of Novruz Holiday, the MP said that the decrees on amnesty usually coincide with the sacred days of the Azeri people. "Signing Decree on Amnesty on the eve of the holiday would be expedient. I would like many amnesties to be signed this year," she said.