Azerbaijan announces amnesty

Today, the Parliament of Azerbaijan has adopted the Amnesty Act, which was submitted as a legislative initiative by MP Mekhriban Alieva, wife of President Ilham Aliev. The amnesty is dated to the spring holiday of Novruz. Meanwhile, human rights activists believe that this is no solution to the problem of political prisoners.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports that the Amnesty Act bill was presented to the MPs by Ali Guseinov, head of the permanent parliamentary commission for state construction and legal policy.

According to Mr Guseinov, while in 1992 the republic had 390 prisoners per 100,000 of population; now the figure dropped down to 190 prisoners. The present amnesty will cover 12 percent of prisoners and 60 percent of all women-prisoners.

The Amnesty Act was adopted without debates by 111 votes pro and one vote contra.

The present amnesty will also cover more than 9,000 persons; about 1700 persons will get at large; and 1200 prisoners will have their terms halved.

Basically, the amnesty will cover those who committed offences not dangerous for the society and non-grave crimes; women; inmates under 18; invalids of Categories I and II; convicts who have reached 60; and prisoners, with dependent minors or disabled children.

Human rights activist Leila Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, in her turn, has expressed her regret that the amnesty has failed to cover the persons imprisoned on political grounds.

In the opinion of Emin Guseinov, head of the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety, out of 6 convicted journalists the amnesty can touch only Mirza Sakit (Sakit Zakhidov), satirist from "Azadlyg" newspaper, who has only 3 months of his term left.