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Azerbaijani Parliament approves draft amnesty bill

08 May 2007 12:24 (UTC +04:00)

Mehriban Aliyeva said that the prisoners and their families appeal to the Foundation.
â€œWe prepared draft law on amnesty taking into account these appeals. I think that we should help the people, who made mistake by committing crimes. Adoption of the law on amnesty shows that Azerbaijan backs humanism values. It is an important fact that it has been devoted to Heydar Aliyevâ€™s memory,â€ Mehriban Aliyeva said.
Giving information about the draft law on amnesty chief of parliamentâ€™s commission on legal policy and statehood Ali Huseynov said that the amnesty will be implemented within three months and nearly 9,000 are likely to be released. 1,500 prisoners can be released from detention places, and 7,500 freed from their punishments.
â€œThe draft on Amnesty act proposes to release female prisoners, who were sentenced for not so serious crimes, disabled prisoners of the first group, men of 60, under 18, men having under-age children or disabled children of the first and second group, those participated in the battles for Azerbaijanâ€™s sovereignty and territorial integrity, close relatives of the people died or missing in these battles, people deported from Armenia as a result of ethnic cleansing, terrorism and genocide policy in 1948, 1953, 1988, close relatives of people , who become displaced as a result of occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenians in 1988, 1993, the relatives of people who became disabled and martyr in tragedy January 20, 1990 and Khojaly genocide and release of prisoners from different categories,â€ he said.
Following this, the draft law was debated. Parliamentarian Guler Ahmadova offered to apply the draft law to women, who committed grave crimes.
Igbal Agazade wanted the implementation period of the amnesty to be reduced by a month, and to apply it to the people got suspended sentence for the events of 15-16 October, 2003, political prisoners and five journalists.
Panah Huseyn said that the amnesty should be applicable to the article 147.2 (slander) of the Criminal Code.
Siyavush Novruzov mentioned that Heydar Aliyev abolished death penalty and there is no political prisoner in Azerbaijan.
Other parliamentarians also highly appreciated the draft law and offered to adopt it.
The draft law on amnesty was adopted after the debates. /APA/