By the end of last week, 155,413 convicts had been set free under a sweeping amnesty adopted in Russia to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany, the TASS news agency reported Monday, citing a spokesperson for the Federal Penitentiary Service.
The amnesty, adopted by the Russian State Duma, took effect on April 24 and was slated for completion within six months, TASS reported.
The amnesty applies — among others — to elderly and disabled convicts, pregnant women and young mothers, war veterans, Chernobyl rescue workers, first-time offenders who had committed low- to mid-level crimes, those who had been convicted for unintentional or accidental crimes and those whose terms were set to expire in less than a year.
According to TASS, the amnesty is expected to release 60,000 people from penitentiaries and lift the convictions of 200,000 people who were given sentences that did not involve incarceration.
