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Azerbaijan frees three female prisoners under amnesty act

15 June 2016 09:02 (UTC +04:00)

Other prisoners covered by the amnesty act will be released within four months.

The event organized on this occasion was attended by Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, department chief of Justice Ministryâ€™s Penitentiary Service and chairman of the Constitution Research Foundation Alimammad Nuriyev.

Suleymanova said she often meets women prisoners, listens to their wishes and considers their appeals for clemency.

To date, as many as 518 prisoners have been released by our request, the Ombudsman added.

She noted that Azerbaijan is the only country where 11 amnesty acts and 61 pardon decrees were signed in a short period of time.

The execution of the Amnesty Act adopted by the Azerbaijani parliament was started on June 15.

On May 20, Azerbaijanâ€™s first lady, president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva had submitted a bill on â€œAmnesty Actâ€ to the countryâ€™s parliament on the occasion of 28 May â€“ Republic Day. Â

According to the bill, the Amnesty Act will apply to those imprisoned for having committed crimes that did not pose significant public danger; those imprisoned for having crimes under the age of 18; men aged 60 prior to the date of entry into force of this decision; those considered disabled (first, second of third groups) prior to the date of entry into force of this decision; those who participated in the fighting for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan; those forcibly exiled from their native lands as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenian armed forces, as well as a number of prisoners belonging to other groups.

The Amnesty Act will also cover those serving penalty in correctional facilities, whose remaining prison term to the date the decision came into force is no more than a year; those fined for having committed crimes that did not pose significant public danger; those conditionally sentenced to imprisonment or those freed prematurely of this kind of penalty or those whose penalty of this kind has been postponed, as well as a number of prisoners belonging to other groups.

The Amnesty Act will apply to 10,000 prisoners, 3,500 of them will be released from the places of detention. Â