BAKU: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has proposed a mass amnesty that may affect more than 20,000 people, state media reported on Monday.&nbsp;Aliyev submitted a draft amnesty act to Azerbaijan&#39;s parliament, describing the initiative as a gesture of &quot;humanism and mercy&quot; following the 2023 recapture of the breakaway Karabakh region from Armenian forces, the Azertag state news agency said.&nbsp;According to the report, the proposal would free 5,000 inmates, and about 15,000 would see their sentences or penalties reduced or lifted.&nbsp;It is unclear whether the plan would affect political prisoners, whose number has risen to almost 400 in recent years, according to the European Parliament.&nbsp;The tightly-controlled oil-rich former Soviet republic has long faced criticism from rights groups for suppressing political dissent and muzzling independent media.&nbsp;In August, Armenia and its longtime arch-foe, Azerbaijan, committed to peace after decades of territorial conflict in a deal brokered by the White House.&nbsp;Aliyev has ruled the country since 2003, after succeeding his father, Heydar, a former communist leader and KGB general.

Central Asia

President Ilham Aliyev proposed a mass amnesty for over 20,000 people as a post-Karabakh '"humanism' gesture.

Articles tagged with "Amnesty"

Azerbaijan to pardon thousands in largest-ever amnesty: Report