Turkmen President Amnesties More Than 1,300 Convicts

The tradition of post-Ramadan amnesties was established by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's predecessor.

Turkmen media report that President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has signed a decree to amnesty 1,327 convicts, including 44 foreign nationals.

The amnesty is dedicated to the upcoming end of the holy month of Ramadan, which is followed by a three-day celebration of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr.

The tradition to amnesty convicts at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting in the Islamic world, was established in Turkmenistan and legalized by Berdymukhammedov's predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, in 1999.

With reporting by Interfax