“House of representatives” confirms: No political prisoners to be released under amnesty

• 27.06.2012, 10:53

The “house of representatives” adopted the law on amnesty on June 27.

Interior minister Ihar Shunevich said the draft law has two new features: the first one is that amnesty will be applied to the persons convicted for certain economic offences if they compensate for the damage in full; the second one – prison terms for corruption-related crimes can be reduced by one year, BelaPAN news agency reports.

The draft law traditionally provides for releasing the so called “privileged” group of prisoners – juvenile offenders, pregnant women, women and single men with children under 18 years old, old people, people with 1st and 2nd disability degrees, people with 1, 2, 5 A or 5 B active forms of tuberculosis and people with oncological diseases of groups 2, 3 or 4, HIV positive people who committed petty or not dangerous for society offences.

The draft law enlists groups of people that cannot be released under amnesty – prisoners convicted under articles 293 (mass disorders), 342 (organizing and preparing the actions that violate public order or taking active part in such actions), 367 (defamation of the president), 369-3 (violating the rules of organizing or holding a mass event). So, political prisoners will remain behind bars.

Shunevich says 2880 people are expected to be released.