To mark the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, an amnesty has been declared in the country, covering around 15,000 people. Of these, 6,000 are currently in custody, while 9,000 are under probation supervision. These figures were announced by MP Abzal Kuspan at a session of the Mazhilis, where the bill passed its first reading.
According to Informburo.kz, around 4,000 people will be fully released from serving their sentences. These include 632 convicts held in institutions of the penal enforcement system, and 3,500 people registered with the probation service.
A differentiated reduction of the remaining sentence is also provided for. This measure will affect around 11,000 convicts: 5,400 of them are in places of imprisonment, while 5,500 are under probation supervision.
Special attention has been paid to socially vulnerable categories of citizens. According to Abzal Kuspan, the amnesty will affect 629 such individuals. Of these, 57 will be released, and the sentences of the rest will be reduced. The amnesty also covers 833 women, of whom 109 will receive full release.
“The category subject to amnesty is primarily socially vulnerable segments of the population. These include pensioners, minors, women raising children, men who were raising children alone at the time of the crime, and so on. And, for the most part, it is the classic model: we grant amnesty to those individuals who do not pose a threat to society,” – noted the MP.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Abai Kaiyrbekov reported that there are currently 75 minors serving sentences in Kazakh correctional facilities — 70 boys and 5 girls. Following the adoption of the law, four of them will have their sentences reduced.
It is important to note that the bill excludes the possibility of amnesty for individuals who have committed particularly grave and dangerous crimes. The final decision on each case will be made by the court on an individual basis. MP Nikolai Arsyutin added that the amnesty does not cover individuals who have committed crimes against the person, nor those who have committed corruption offences.
As noted by Mazhilis MP Snezhanna Imasheva, the document was developed on the initiative of MPs with the aim of humanising criminal policy based on the principle of humanism.
“The draft law proposes releasing from serving sentences those convicted of crimes that do not pose a significant threat to the safety of citizens and the state,” – Imasheva stated.
Abzal Kuspan emphasised that this amnesty is not only timed to coincide with a significant date but also pursues pragmatic goals. In particular, it will allow the optimisation of state expenditure on detaining prisoners and reduce the burden on penal enforcement institutions, thereby improving detention conditions for those convicts who remain.
For context, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan — the country's fundamental law was adopted by national referendum on 30 August 1995 and became the foundation for building an independent, democratic, and law-governed state.