Epress.am News from Armenia
With 91 in favor, 0 against and 1 abstained, Armenia’s National Assembly approved the proposal for general amnesty made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on May 20.
Recall, though the draft amnesty resolution was read in parliament yesterday, it was put to a vote today.
The amnesty will apply to those who have committed a crime prior to May 1, 2011.
As previously reported, justice minister Hrayr Tovmasyan Wednesday announced on air that the amnesty (if approved) would apply to imprisoned journalist and chief editor of local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) Nikol Pashinyan and fellow imprisoned oppositionist Sasun Mikaelyan.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Tovmasian said some 400 prisoners will be immediately released while several hundred others will have their sentences shortened if the amnesty is approved by the parliament. “We are talking about 900-1,000 people to be affected by this,” he said.
Provisions of the bill suggest that all of the several HAK loyalists, who were arrested following the 2008 post-election unrest and remain in jail, will be set free.
David Harutyunyan, the chair of the parliament committee on legal affairs, also confirmed that Pashinyan will be freed, reported RFE/RL’s Armenian service Wednesday.