During the pandemic, the courts released 1020 prisoners ahead of schedule

Baku/20.05.20/Turan: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, based on appeals from the Public Committee under the Ministry of Justice, the courts prematurely released 1,020 convicts from places of detention. Of these, 809 were released on parole, 211 were transferred to settlement colonies, Turan was told by the chair of the Public Association "Development of Society and Civil Relations" Ahmed Abbasbeyli.

According to him, there are many appeals, however, with the early release; the nature of the crime committed and the served part of the punishment are taken into account.

It should be noted that in recent months a number of socio-political figures and human rights activists have appealed to the authorities to release convicts who have served most of their sentences, including political prisoners. According to Elshan Hasanov, the head of the Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners, there are no political prisoners among those who are prematurely released.

“There is discrimination on the issue of release during a pandemic. These measures do not apply to political prisoners. Three political prisoners from the Saeed Dadashbeyli group have less than two months left until the end of the term, but they are not released, despite the fact that they have no violations. They appealed, but the courts refused them.  

Discrimination is applied even to veterans of the Karabakh war convicted of less serious crimes,” Hasanov said.

According to him, only two convicts of the Nardaran events who are over 65 years old were released. -03B06-