Kazakh Senate passes law to grant amnesty to about 28,000 prisoners

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - The Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan has passed the Law "On amnesty on occasion of 25 years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" today, Kazinform correspondent reports.

Prosecutor General Zhakip Assanov said this will be the 9th amnesty in 25 years of Kazakhstan's independence while introducing the draft law at the plenary session of the upper chamber on Friday.

According to him, this year's amnesty was initiated by Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev with a view to decrease number of prisoners at places of detention. Kazakhstan will grant amnesty to about 28,000 prisoners. However, only 1,500 convicts will be pardoned.

It should be noted that under the new law prisoners convicted on charges of terrorism, pedophilia and other grievous crimes won't be spared any prison time.