Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 31 prisoners convicted of “extremism” – an accusation that is often used against his political opponents, noted AFP and Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Among those pardoned are two women and 29 men. Seventeen of those released suffer from chronic diseases and three are disabled, the presidency said in a statement.
Twenty-seven of them have children, and seven are parents with many children.
Convicted persons are released from serving the main punishment, but without annulment of the sentence. The Ministry of the Interior will monitor their further behavior, adds TASS.