DUSHANBE, June 21, Asia-Plus -- Number of inmates falling under the amnesty, declared by the president on occasion of a National Accord Day, will be determined within two months after the adopted amnesty law comes into effect, Asia-Plus has learned from Bahrom Abudlhaqov, the head of the penitentiary directorate of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).  

According to the penitentiary department, like the previous amnesty, this amnesty will also last for six months.  

The previous amnesty was declared in Tajikistan last August on occasion of the 15th anniversary of Tajikistan Independence. 

The implementation of an August 2006 amnesty has halved the country’s prison population.  According to the MoJ, before the adoption of last year’s amnesty law, some 12,000 prisoners were in the jails in Tajikistan.  Under the Independence Day amnesty, a total of 6,731 inmates were released, while 4,508 prisoners were granted partial amnesty (they had their sentences commuted).    

We will recall that under the amnesty law adopted by the lower house of the Tajik parliament yesterday, the amnesty applies to veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, women, minors, men above 55, as well as sick prisoners who are serving sentences for minor crimes, and combatants in the 1992-1997civil war 

 The amnesty does not apply to persons serving sentences for serious crime or for killing two and more people, recidivists or those who committed crimes in prisons, as well as persons convicted on charges of human trafficking, recruiting people for exploitation, rape, banditry, organizing a criminal group, hostage taking, incitement of ethnic, racial, regional and religious enmity, theft, drug trafficking, trafficking in weapons, robbery, embezzlement of state funds and loans, public calls for overthrowing the country’s constitutional system, high treason, organizing an extremist group, bribery, espionage, office abuse, etc. 

In all, the amnesty does not apply on persons convicted on charges under 68 articles of Tajikistan’s Criminal Code, which consists of 405 articles.  

The law will take effect after being officially published in state-run newspapers.