Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order pardoning 153 prisoners timed to the sacred Eid al-Adha (Gurban bayrami) on October 14.

The Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Justice completed the execution of the decree on October 15.

The pardon decree was signed as part of continuing the humane principles and taking into account appeals of the family members and the commissioner for human rights to the head of state; the health, family conditions and good behavior of the prisoners during the detention were considered as well.

According to the order, 134 convicts were released from the unserved part of their sentence, two people who had suspended sentences were pardoned, one was made exempt from community work and 16 from fines.

The list of those pardoned included former economic development minister Farhad Aliyev and former chairman of the directors board of the Azpetrol group of companies Rafiq Aliyev.

Moreover, the list includes citizens of Iran, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

According to Azerbaijani Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova, the current pardon executed during the Gurban Holiday covers a greater number of convicted people.

Deputy head of the Penitentiary Service Huseyn Alikhanov said the signing of the order is the expression of trust to the families of the pardoned people. He expressed hope that the released persons will not commit a crime in the future.

Over 50 pardon acts covering over 5,000 people were signed in 1995-2013 in Azerbaijan and 10 amnesty acts were executed. About 100,000 prisoners were released based on the amnesty acts in this period.