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The government-sponsored amnesty bill to mark the 100th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 2,800th anniversary of the capital, Yerevan, will apply to the people serving up to 4 and 6 years in prison, Acting Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan told a news conferance on Friday.

Previously, the measure covered inmates facing up to 3 and 5 years jail term.

“This would naturally lead to an increase in beneficiaries. It also applies not only to negligent crimes but also intentional crimes,” he said, adding disabled convicts serving sentences of up to six years in prison, as well as some other categories of inmates, including pregnant women or women who have children below 3, people aged above 60 or below 18, are also to be covered by the amnesty. 

He said the amnesty will affect a total of 6,500 people in one way or another, including people under investigation or in pre-trial detention.

The official reiterated his claim that the new measure is a purely humanitarian act and does not seek to ease the heavy workload of the correctional facilities. 

“Apart from being a humanitarian act, it is also an education step towards strengthening the system of values,” he said.

The Armenian National Assembly unanimously passed the amnesty bill in the first and second readings on 31 October and on 1 November, respectively.