Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon has signed an amnesty measure granting freedom to some 10,000 prisoners, according to reports reaching here from Dushanbe.
The amnesty was passed to mark the 15th anniversary of Tajikistan's Constitution on Nov. 6, the country's presidential news service said Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
The number of people expected to be granted amnesty for minor crimes was about 10,000, nearly half of the prisoners in Tajikistan.
The amnesty excludes those serving sentences for serious crimes such as terrorism, pillage, fraud, premeditated murder and treason.
The new amnesty was the 12th since Tajikistan became independent in 1991.