Azerbaijan starts implementation of amnesty act in penitentiary facilities

The implementation of an amnesty act initiated by President Ilham Aliyev has officially begun in Azerbaijan.

The amnesty is being carried out at correctional facilities operated by the Ministry of Justice Penitentiary Service.

President Ilham Aliyev put forward the initiative to declare the amnesty, after which the Milli Majlis adopted the corresponding decision.

Under the amnesty act, individuals who took part in combat operations to protect Azerbaijanchr("39")s sovereignty and territorial integrity - including the Patriotic War and the anti-terror operation conducted on September 19-20, 2023 - are eligible for release. The amnesty also applies to close relatives of those killed or missing in action during these operations, individuals who became disabled as a result of Armeniachr("39")s military provocations against civilians, as well as women, people aged 60 and over, those who committed crimes as minors, and other categories of persons.

The document provides for the release from punishment or criminal liability of individuals convicted of crimes posing no great public danger, less serious crimes, or crimes committed through negligence. For some convicts, sentences will be reduced or the remaining unserved portion will be shortened.

The amnesty is expected to be the largest in Azerbaijanchr("39")s history in terms of the number of people covered. More than 20,000 individuals are projected to benefit from the act.

Over 5,000 inmates are expected to be released from imprisonment, sentences will be reduced for more than 3,000 prisoners, more than 7,000 people will be freed from restriction of liberty penalties, nearly 4,000 from other non-custodial or suspended sentences, and more than 1,000 individuals will be released from criminal liability.

The implementation of the amnesty act is expected to take four months.