Kubrakov revealed details of 2024 amnesty
Belarus’ Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov, during a meeting with the President on certain issues of improving legislation on criminal liability, presented the Interior Ministry’s approaches on an amnesty dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from the Nazi invaders, which were backed by the Head of State. At the same time, during the discussion it was proposed to increase the number of amnestied categories, and the final amnesty bill will be developed in the near future.
Ivan Kubrakov stated that the amnesty affects the interests of not only convicts, but also their relatives, some of whom are war and labour veterans, elderly people who need outside help and care. The Minister also added that the forecast for the development of the crime situation does not raise serious concerns nowadays. Moreover, the 2022 amnesty did not have a significant negative impact on the state of law and order in Belarus: out of 5,500 amnestied persons, 274 people committed a crime again.
“The adoption of an amnesty has a social orientation, as well as economic feasibility. One of the mandatory conditions for its application is full repayment of the damage caused to the victims,” noted the Interior Minister.
As far as the preparation of the draft Law On 2024 Amnesty is concerned, Ivan Kubrakov noted that it is proposed to use the structure of the Law On 2022 Amnesty as a basis and establish the following conditions in it:
1) Unconditional release from all types of punishment, as well as termination of preliminary investigation in criminal cases in relation to persons who have committed crimes that do not pose a great public danger or belong to the category of less serious crimes, for the following category of persons:
– minors;
– pregnant women;
– women and single men with children under 18;
– persons of retirement age, disabled people of the 1st and 2nd groups;
– patients with an active form of TB, patients with cancer, HIV-infected;
– veterans of combat operations on the territory of other states;
– citizens affected by the Chernobyl disaster;
– persons of the preferential category of citizens.
2) Release of persons who have committed crimes from the category of ‘not posing a great public danger’ and who have been sentenced to restriction of freedom or imprisonment.
3) Release of persons who have committed crimes from the category of less serious, who have been sentenced to restriction of freedom, imprisonment, and who have served at least one quarter of the sentence imposed by the court on the day the law enters into force.
4) Release from punishment in the form of arrest.
5) Release from punishment partially for a period of 1 year for persons who are not included in the preferential category of citizens and who have committed serious crimes, as well as pregnant women sentenced to imprisonment and women with children under 3, for whom the court has deferred serving their sentence.
6) Release from the unserved part of the sentence for persons who are not included in the preferential category and have committed serious crimes, who on the day of consideration of materials on the application of the amnesty have less than 1 year left before the end of their sentence.
The following categories of persons are offered the reduction of their sentence by 1 year:
– under the age of 18 for crimes related to illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances;
– citizens who have committed corruption crimes.
