Putin asked to grant amnesty to women convicted of non-violent crimes
The Human Rights Council (HRC) asks the Russian President to grant an amnesty to women convicted for non-violent crimes
05.12.2023
Eva Merkacheva has asked the Russian President to grant an amnesty, which Vladimir Putin has promised to consider.
At a recent meeting of the Council, one of its members, Eva Merkacheva, proposed the introduction of a pardon for women with young children who are suspected of or been convicted for non-violent offences.
In addressing the President, Merkacheva said “I would also ask you to grant a general amnesty for all women who have committed non-violent crimes for the first time in cases where there have been no victims or people objecting to their release”.
Merkacheva also referred to the unjustifiably harsh sentences that have been handed down to people who have similar convictions for lesser offences. Putin did not rule out the possibility of an amnesty for women with young children and proposed that he and State agencies should work together to strengthen legislation and law enforcement practices in order to avoid the imposition of “contentious sentences”.
“As for women in prisons, the examples you have cited are very compelling and I strongly recommend that the appropriate decisions are developed and taken, including pardons for special categories of women prisoners”, said Putin in reply.
According to Dmitry Peskov, the President’s Press Secretary, amnesties for certain categories of female prisoners have yet to be formally discussed and stressed that a final decision will be “impossible before the end of the year as there is still plenty of preparatory work to be done”.
