AZERBAIJAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES BILL ON AMNESTY
Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 1 2007
Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Alizade / On 1 May the Azerbaijan
Parliament put forward for discussion a draft law on Amnesty. The bill
was discussed at the initiative of MP Mehriban Aliyeva, the President
of Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The document envisages release of 1,500
convicted and cut in punishment term of other 7,500 prisoners.
The amnesty will be referred to those who do not present serious
danger for the society, women convicted for not very heinous crime,
disabled people, men under the age of 60, people under the age
of 18 at the time of the crime, participants of the fight for the
independency and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, relatives of
people who died and became missing people in the fight, people who were
expelled from Armenia as a result of ethnical cleansing, terror and
genocide policy in 1943-1953 and 1998, people who became internally
displaced persons as a result of occupation of the Azerbaijani lands
by Armenia in 1988-1993 and people who became disabled after the 20
January tragedy and Khojaly genocide, etc.
The amnesty acts have been realized in Azerbaijan since 1995. Seven
amnesty acts have been made over the reported period and 32 orders have
been issued on pardon. These acts have been referred to 77.000 people.
The draft law on Amnesty was put forward for discussion due to the
84th anniversary of ex-President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.