Today it became known that the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko pardoned another 30 people convicted of protest-related crimes.
The head of state's decision was commented on by Prosecutor General Andrey Shved.
His statement is cited by BELTA .
How Shved commented on the new decree on pardon
As the Prosecutor General reported, the President instructed the commission, which is called upon to facilitate the return of Belarusians to their homeland, to consider applications for pardoning those convicted of extremist crimes.
Before the commission meeting, the materials of criminal cases, as well as materials related to the behavior of convicts in places of imprisonment, were carefully studied.
Other circumstances were also taken into account: health status, age, sincere repentance, assurances from the convicted that they would strictly comply with the law.
They also took into account the fact that these individuals did not commit violent crimes against government officials, Shved added.
According to him, those pardoned were convicted mainly for insults and slander on the Internet.
The members of the commission, which includes representatives not only of government agencies, but also public associations and the media, discussed each candidate.
The discussion was quite heated. They voted openly, the head of the supervisory agency said.
He noted that in some cases decisions were made by a margin of one or two votes. The President agreed with the opinion of the commission members.
I adopted the act of pardon, guided by the principles of humanism. In essence, this is an act of good will, the Prosecutor General noted.
He added that after their release, those pardoned will be under close supervision of the internal affairs agencies.
