DUSHANBE, November 14, 2009, Asia-Plus — The amnesty law adopted in Tajikistan last month will not lead to a crime spike in the country, Zafar Azizov, the deputy head of the Supreme Court of Tajikistan, told reporters in Dushanbe on November 13.
Of 10,000 prisoners that will be granted amnesty, only 3,000 well be released, while others will be granted a partial amnesty, i.e. their prison terms will be reduced, Azizov said.
According to him, more than 100 women have been released from penal colony since the amnesty law took effect and only one case of recurring perpetration of crime has been reported so far.
Asked about the possibility of rise in the level of corruption in judicial bodies in connection with adoption of the amnesty law, Azizov noted that no such cases have been registered so far.
We will recall that President Emomali Rahmon in early October signed a decree that grants amnesty to an estimated 10,000 prisoners. The amnesty pardons mainly convicts who were under 18 years when they committed their crimes, men and women over 55, and foreign nationals. According to presidential press service, a special commission is reviewing all the cases to decide which prisoners will be granted an amnesty.
