MINSK, 30 April (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the eighth convocation adopted the draft law “On amnesty in connection with the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War” following two readings at its second session on 30 April, BelTA has learned.
The draft law was submitted to the House of Representatives by the Council of Ministers on 24 April. According to preliminary estimates, a total of 7,630 convicts will be eligible for amnesty or clemency. To quality for amnesty or clemency most convicts should fully compensate for the harm (damage) caused by their crimes, as well as to have a good behavior record.
The bill contains a number of novelties. In particular, the sentence will be reduced by one year for persons with no prior convictions, who have committed crimes related to the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues, except for persons who have committed such crimes that have resulted in the death of a person because of the consumption of narcotic drugs (part 5 of Article 328 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus). The list of persons to be completely released from punishment and a criminal liability will be expanded to include people diagnosed with certain oncohematologic diseases and hematopoietic depressions.
Under the bill, people convicted of negligent crimes that resulted in the death of a person will be granted clemency. Their jail time will be reduced by one year. First-time offenders aged 70 and over who got a jail term of up to six years will be granted clemency. Imprisonment for them will be replaced by the restriction of freedom and they will not be sent to open prisons.
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