Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Azerbaijani Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova has expressed hope that another act of amnesty will be signed in the country.

Suleymanova said that this issue relates to the Azerbaijani president's powers and he makes such decisions several times a year.

"The Ombudsman's office receives appeals monthly, which are sent to the Commission on Pardons," she said. "The commission is considering our proposals."

Azerbaijan's parliament unanimously passed the latest amnesty bill covering 9,000 prisoners at a special meeting timed to the 90th anniversary of the national leader Heydar Aliyev in May, 2013.

The amnesty act was initiated by Azerbaijani First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, MP Mehriban Aliyeva.

The amnesty law saw the release of women who do not pose a serious threat to society or those who committed less grave crimes; under-18 criminals, disabled people of the first and second category; men over 60; those who have custody of underage children or disabled children of the first and second category; those who contributed to the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan; those who were expelled from their homeland as a result of the Armenian occupation of a part of Azerbaijan's territory, as well as prisoners of other categories.

The law also applied to the persons whose unserved term of imprisonment is below a year, those sentenced to corrective and community work, persons who were fined, those whose imprisonment was postponed, and those who were issued a suspended sentence.