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The new draft law on granting amnesty to over 6,000 convicts in Armenia is a purely humanitarian act and does not seek to ease the workload of the correctional facilities, Acting Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan said at today’s parliamentary debates on the new measure. 

He said as of today there are 2,888 prisoners in Armenian penitentiaries, whereas the facilities can hold 5,346 convicts or detainees.

“There are 644 convicts or detainees in Nubarashen penitentiary, while it can house 780. Vardashen penitentiary has 155 inmates or detainees, while it has a capacity of 339. I present these figures to make it clear that the amnesty doesn’t pursue a goal of unloading the correctional facilities. It is a purely humanitarian act called for reconciliation and solidarity,” he said.

The official added that the amnesty bill is dedicated to the 2800th jubilee of Yerevan and the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia.  

If passed, the bill will apply to nearly 6,500 convicts, he said, adding it is the biggest amnesty compared to the previous years.