DUSHANBE, October 25, Asia-Plus - According to the latest data, 4,950 people, including 263 women, 20 minors, 59 elderly people, 31 disabled people, as well as nine veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-195 and participants of cleanup operation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, have been released under Tajikistan’s amnesty law this year, Justice Minister Khalifabobo Homidov announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on October 23.  

Among those granted amnesty on occasion of the 15 ^th anniversary of Tajikistan’s Independence are also 127 foreigners, including 44 Afghans, 59 Uzbeks, 13 Russians, three Kyrgyz nationals, three Georgians, one Belarus national, one Iranian national, one Canadian national, as well as two citizens of Iraq, according to the minister.  Amnestied prisoners have been released in stages after a review of their cases. 

“At present 91 foreigners continue serving their sentences in jails in Tajikistan,” the minister said, adding that the amnesty process is under way.

Homidov said that the ministry provides funds for nutrition at the rate of little more than 3 somonis per prisoner for daily food ration. 50 prisoners were released recently, concluding the amnesty, a source in a MoJ said.  

Bahrom Abdulloyev, the deputy head of the penal system department within the Justice Ministry, said that this amount is, of course, inconsiderable and prisoners mainly live on parcels delivered to them by their relatives and products from subsidiary farming units at the correction colonies.  “However, the situation has improved a little bit compared to last year, especially as to take into consideration that last year, the budget provided funds for keeping prisoners at the rate of only 1.20 somonis per prisoner,” Abdulloyev noted.