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

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.