On Monday (22 December), Azerbaijan began implementing a mass amnesty timed to coincide with the "Year of Constitution and Sovereignty" declared in the country by President Ilham Aliyev.
The amnesty act is being implemented in the institutions of the Ministry of Justice's Penitentiary Service. According to the initial list provided by the act, which was approved by the Azerbaijan parliament, approximately 5,000 people are expected to be released from serving further sentences, and the prison terms of more than 3,000 convicts will be reduced by six months.
The amnesty will also apply to a total of over 10,000 people serving non-custodial sentences.
Overall, the amnesty provisions are scheduled to be implemented over a four-month period.
source: commonspace.eu with agencies