Over 2,200 convicts in Kazakhstan can get amnesty! This information was announced today at a meeting of the Mazhilis of the Kazakh Parliament. Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev presented the new bill. According to him, this measure will not apply to prisoners who have committed especially dangerous crimes. In addition, 11,310 people who are registered with the probation service are eligible for amnesty, while another 1,294 Kazakh citizens will have their sentences reduced. The head of the relevant department also indicated that 5,000 criminal cases in pre-trial proceedings will be reduced in the near future.
“Following the instructions of the Head of State, the Interior Ministry has drawn up a draft law ‘On amnesty on the occasion of 30 years of Independence’. The purpose of the bill is to exempt persons from serving sentences for minor or ordinary offences and to reduce the term of sentence for certain grave and very serious crimes. The amnesty will be applied to veterans, minors, senior citizens, persons with disabilities of the first and second categories and other people who do not pose a serious threat to the safety of citizens and the state. The bill has been discussed with public figures and academic experts,” Turgumbayev said.
Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that the country will give amnesty to those prosecuted in crimes that do not pose a serious threat to the security of citizens and the state. There have already been eight amnesties in Kazakhstan in 30 years. To date, more than 34,000 people are being held in 64 facilities and 16 pre-trial detention centers in the country.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
