BELARUSIAN LOWER HOUSE PASSES AMNESTY BILL. The Chamber of Representatives on October 24 passed a bill on pardoning some categories of convicts, Belapan reported. The bill applies to those convicted of crimes punishable by no more than six years in prison. Those who were convicted of grave economic crimes, such as larceny and fraud, and have served at least a third of their sentence may also be pardoned, provided that they did not commit the crime as part of an organized group. Interior Minister Uladzimir Navumau told legislators that the amnesty will extend to some 2,500 convicts. Navumau said at a news conference later the same day that he does not know whether opposition politicians Alyaksandr Kazulin and Andrey Klimau will be pardoned under the amnesty bill. Navumau also denied that there are political prisoners in the country. "There are no political prisoners or politically motivated articles [of the Criminal Code] in Belarus. Many people whom the opposition is talking about were convicted on criminal charges," he noted.
(Fonte: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
