Law on Amnesty enters into force

The Law on Amnesty enters into force Friday and prisons will begin sending the convicts’ files that release them from serving prison sentences to the courts as of Monday, Directorate for Execution of Sanctions told MIA.

According to the law passed January 15, about 800 convicts serving sentences of up to six months will be released from prison. More than 3,097 prisoners who received sentences longer than six months will have those sentences reduced by one third.

The bill excludes convicts sentenced to life imprisonment and prisoners convicted of murder, electoral irregularities, sex offences, and crimes against the state. The Law on Amnesty will ease overcrowding in the country’s prisons, which have faced acute criticism for their inhumane conditions.