NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh lawmakers have approved a bill on a mass amnesty ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Central Asian state's independence that will be marked next month.
Interior Minister Erlan Turghymbaev, who proposed the bill to the members of the parliament's lower chamber, the Mazhilis, on November 3, said that more than 2,300 inmates and over 11,000 men and women on parole will be affected by the amnesty.
"Some 1,000 individuals will be released from penitentiaries, and parole restrictions imposed on 3,800 persons will be lifted. In addition, the sentences of 1,294 inmates and 7,392 persons on parole will be reduced. Furthermore, 5,000 pending criminal cases will be closed," Turghymbaev said, adding that mostly people convicted of minor or less serious crimes will be released.
Kazakhstan was the last Soviet republic to declare independence, on December 16, 1991.
Kazakh Lawmakers Approve Bill On Mass Amnesty To Mark 30 Years Of Independence
The Kazakh parliament's lower chamber, the Mazhilis, meets in Astana.