Amnesty act can be executed ahead of schedule

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

A member of the public committee under the Justice Ministry, the president of the constitutional research foundation, Alimammad Nuriyev, has said that the amnesty act can be executed ahead of schedule. 

He made the remarks at a round table with the participation of media representatives, dedicated to the Amnesty Act, announced on the occasion of Victory Day - November 8.

"In my opinion, the execution of the Amnesty Act can be completed in a month," he said.

Nuriyev noted that immediately after the adoption of the Amnesty Act by the parliament, more than 100 people were released.

Moreover, the head of the punishment control inspectorate at the Justice Ministry Malik Alakbarov added that a day after the announcement of the amnesty act 36 people were released. He stated that to date the action of the Amnesty Act has covered 101 convicts in the Penitentiary Service.

On November 5, parliament approved a bill on the declaration of amnesty on the occasion of Victory Day. The amnesty act is the largest one in terms of the number of people and institutions that it will cover.

The act submitted to parliament by the president will apply to more than 16,000 people. Over 3,000 convicts are expected to be released from prisons, as well as the unserved part of the sentences of about 3,000 convicts will be reduced.

Under the act, close relatives of those who took part in the 44-day war and other military operations to protect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as persons awarded orders and medals will be released.

Moreover, close relatives of those with disabilities or killed as a result of military provocations, as well as persons who have committed crimes that do not pose a major public threat will also be released from criminal liability.

At the same time, negligent offenders, persons who have committed a less serious or first-time grave crime for which the unserved part of the sentence is less than six months, persons serving a sentence in a precinct-type penitentiary institution less than one year before the end of their sentence will be released from the unserved part of the sentence.

The act is expected to apply also to individuals, who were fined, sentenced to public work, correctional work, imposed restrictions over military service, detained in a disciplinary military unit, and had other non-custodial sentences.

The amnesty will remove convictions from individuals who do not pose a major public threat or who have committed less serious crimes.