Epress.am News from Armenia
Discussing Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s proposal on general amnesty on occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia and being guided by Article 81 Section 1 Point 1 of the Armenian Constitution, the National Assembly today ruled a draft of a grant amnesty to those individuals who were sentenced to prison terms less than 3 years; those to whom the penalty was not applied or the sentence was postponed; and those whose sentence is not connected to imprisonment.
In addition, those individuals who have been imprisoned at most for 5 years and who are (1) classified by the state as people with first or second level disabilities or (2) who are over 60 years of age or (3) those who committed a crime who were under 18 years of age at the time and whose conviction did not include imprisonment in the past for intentionally committing a crime will be granted amnesty.
Other groups who will be awarded amnesty according to this decision:
– pregnant women or those who have children under 3 years of age
– veterans of WWII or military activities for the defense of the Republic of Armenia or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
– those who are a spouse, child or a parent of someone who was killed while defending the Republic of Armenia or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
3. Those who were sentenced to at most 9 years’ imprisonment and have served no less than a quarter of their punishment and are
– veterans of WWII or military activities for the defense of the Republic of Armenia or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
– those who are a spouse, child or a parent of someone who was killed while defending the Republic of Armenia or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
4. Those who didn’t serve time in prison for an intentionally committed crime in the past who were sentenced for
– at most 5 years’ imprisonment and have served no less than a quarter of their term.
– at most 10 years’ imprisonment and have served no less than a third of their term.
5. Those who have been convicted for committing a negligent crime and have been sentenced to
– at most 5 years’ imprisonment
– at most 10 years’ imprisonment but have served no less than one third of their term.
6. Not to criminally prosecute and to squash crimes related to investigative bodies or criminal cases in court proceedings committed before May 1, 2011, with which people might be or are accused of
– such crimes for which only a penalty not tied to imprisonment is defined
– such crimes for which is defined a term of imprisonment no greater than 3 years
– such crimes for which is defined a term of imprisonment no greater than 5 years (this subpoint is related to the previous subpoint; however, due to lack of clarity, there might be another aspect missing in the translation of this subpoint)
– negligent crime for whom penalty is set at no greater than 5 years’ imprisonment
The parliament decision includes a long list of instances in which amnesty doesn’t apply, as well as cases where prison terms will be reduced. It also includes points aimed at the courts which are entrusted with implementing the decision, as well heads of penal institutions and investigative bodies.
The decision on general amnesty applies to those who committed a crime prior to May 1, 2011. Also important to note is that the decision will be implemented prior to Sept. 21, 2011.