Only 250 people amnestied during 2 months of pardon
ERB has found out that only about 250 out of 3512 people who can be amnestied have been released during the month since the “Law on Amnesty” was approved. First of all they are those who have compensated for the losses caused by their crime. You have to hurry up and do it before April 24. The Ministry of Internal Affaires had counted that 3512 convicts would have been amnestied even before the “Law on Amnesty” was signed. The main term for releasing them was financial compensation of the losses to the state or the victims. The head of the Penal Department Yury Barynkou informed ERB that only about 250 people have been released so far.
Yury Barynkou: “About 250 people have been released from closed institutions”.
The number could have been smaller if relatives had not helped prisoners collect money and compensate for financial losses.
Yury Barynkou: “Of cause they get help. You cannot earn that much in a colony and you cannot compensate for it on your own. There are people who have to pay billions”.
The head of the press service of the General Office of Public Prosecutor Mihail Vavula informed ERB that they were not interested in the source of the money used as compensation. However, not all prisoners can get assistance. No promises to pay everything after the release can help them be amnestied.
Mіhaіl Vavula: “It is difficult to find out who compensated for losses but nobody can be amnestied due to promises to compensate everything in the future. The main condition for the amnesty is actual compensation of losses”.
The administration of every colony decides who can be amnestied. According to the employee of the Office of Public Prosecutor, they are getting complains form convicts who think that they were groundlessly refused the opportunity of being amnestied:
Mіhaіl Vavuла: “Of cause, the Office of Public Prosecutor receives complaints from convicts who have been refused the amnesty. They are treated according to the existing procedure. If a decision is illegal, the administration of the colony is ordered to amnesty the person”.
Pregnant women used to be a category of prisoners who were to be amnestied in the first place during previous pardons. Now they are equal to the rest and will be released only if they compensate for the losses.
Mіhaіl Vavula: “About 2000 people can be amnestied. How many of them are “pregnant women”? There must be a few. They are those who are imprisoned and are serving their sentence. They will be amnestied in the first place and their cases will be studied. However, they will have to compensate for the losses caused by them in order to be amnestied”.
The head of the special department of Homel colony #4 Alena Kryzheuskaya told ERB that they had been planning to amnesty 300 people. Only 15 have been released so far. That was the colony’s New Year’s present for prisoners. Documents of 8 convicts are being studied. The administration of the colony cannot answer how many people will be released till April 24 when the amnesty is over.
Alena Kryzheuskaya: “The main reason for being amnestied, whether it is beneficial or not, is that all losses should be compensated for. We do not know whether all the 300 people compensate for everything or not. Maybe half of them will not be able to do it”.
Anyway, there is some time to collect money – it has to be done till April 24. However, not a single pregnant woman will be released from Homel women’s colony. The head of the special department informed ERB that the compensation was not the main problem. They have not served the necessary term to be amnestied yet.
Alena Kryzheuskaya: “There are pregnant women here. But they arrived not so long ago and cannot be amnestied”.
The head of the press service of the General Office of Public Prosecutor Mihail Vavula says that people announced to be amnestied have always been released. However, none of the previous amnesties had such a distinct financial tint. So it is too early to claim that 3512 people will be amnestied this year.
Yury Barynkou: “About 250 people have been released from closed institutions”.
The number could have been smaller if relatives had not helped prisoners collect money and compensate for financial losses.
Yury Barynkou: “Of cause they get help. You cannot earn that much in a colony and you cannot compensate for it on your own. There are people who have to pay billions”.
The head of the press service of the General Office of Public Prosecutor Mihail Vavula informed ERB that they were not interested in the source of the money used as compensation. However, not all prisoners can get assistance. No promises to pay everything after the release can help them be amnestied.
Mіhaіl Vavula: “It is difficult to find out who compensated for losses but nobody can be amnestied due to promises to compensate everything in the future. The main condition for the amnesty is actual compensation of losses”.
The administration of every colony decides who can be amnestied. According to the employee of the Office of Public Prosecutor, they are getting complains form convicts who think that they were groundlessly refused the opportunity of being amnestied:
Mіhaіl Vavuла: “Of cause, the Office of Public Prosecutor receives complaints from convicts who have been refused the amnesty. They are treated according to the existing procedure. If a decision is illegal, the administration of the colony is ordered to amnesty the person”.
Pregnant women used to be a category of prisoners who were to be amnestied in the first place during previous pardons. Now they are equal to the rest and will be released only if they compensate for the losses.
Mіhaіl Vavula: “About 2000 people can be amnestied. How many of them are “pregnant women”? There must be a few. They are those who are imprisoned and are serving their sentence. They will be amnestied in the first place and their cases will be studied. However, they will have to compensate for the losses caused by them in order to be amnestied”.
The head of the special department of Homel colony #4 Alena Kryzheuskaya told ERB that they had been planning to amnesty 300 people. Only 15 have been released so far. That was the colony’s New Year’s present for prisoners. Documents of 8 convicts are being studied. The administration of the colony cannot answer how many people will be released till April 24 when the amnesty is over.
Alena Kryzheuskaya: “The main reason for being amnestied, whether it is beneficial or not, is that all losses should be compensated for. We do not know whether all the 300 people compensate for everything or not. Maybe half of them will not be able to do it”.
Anyway, there is some time to collect money – it has to be done till April 24. However, not a single pregnant woman will be released from Homel women’s colony. The head of the special department informed ERB that the compensation was not the main problem. They have not served the necessary term to be amnestied yet.
Alena Kryzheuskaya: “There are pregnant women here. But they arrived not so long ago and cannot be amnestied”.
The head of the press service of the General Office of Public Prosecutor Mihail Vavula says that people announced to be amnestied have always been released. However, none of the previous amnesties had such a distinct financial tint. So it is too early to claim that 3512 people will be amnestied this year.
