KHUJAND, November 13, 2009, Asia-Plus — The first 538 prisoners have been released in the Sughd province under the amnesty announced on occasion of the 15th anniversary of Tajikistan’s Constitution and Year of Imam Azam in Tajikistan, according to the Sughd prosecutor’s office.
The source noted that 459 prisoners, including 10 women, had been released from conventional penal colonies, 15 prisoners had been released from medium-security penal colonies and four prisoners had been released from high-security penal colonies. “Besides, 46 prisoners have been granted partial amnesty; their prison terms were reduced by one-third,” he said.
The source added that 60 people had been freed from pretrial detention facilities of Khujand and Istaravshan.
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.
