FOREIGN AMBASSADORS PRAISE TURKMEN AMNESTY
Turkmenistan.ru, Turkmenistan
Nov 10 2004
Foreign ambassadors accredited to Turkmenistan have highly rated
the republic’s amnesty act that granted freedom to 9,000 inmates,
including 150 foreign nationals, the Ashgabat correspondent of
Turkmenistan.ru reports.
It should be recalled that in 1999 Turkmenistan adopted the law,
“On the annual amnesty and pardon on the occasion of the holy “Gadyr
Gijesi” (the Night of Omnipotence), according to which inmates
convicted for minor crimes are released from jails every year under
the amnesty and pardon.
In an interview to the State news service (TDH) published in today’s
newspapers Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Turkmenistan
Golamreza Ansari said in particular that a tradition set by Saparmurat
Niyazov to release inmates right on the night of “Gadyr Gijei” “is
one more evidence of the friendly Turkmen people’s true spirituality
and commitment to the Islamic values, affirmation of high principles
of humanism and justice in the modern Turkmen society.”
The Iranian Ambassador expressed appreciation of the policy pursued
by the Turkmen leader as well as hope that the amnesty act, thanks
to which there were also released citizens of Iran, would further
strengthen ties of friendship and understanding between the two
friendly peoples.
Ambassador of Turkey to Turkmenistan Bahaddin Gursoz said in an
interview to the TDH that there were four Turkish citizens among
inmates pardoned by Saparmurat Niiyazov. “All of them are impressed
by humanity and mercy demonstrated to them, and they keep thanking
President Saparmurat Niyazov for allowing them to return to their
families,” Bahaddin Gursoz said.
Armenian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Aram Grigoryan said in an interview
to the TDH that there also were four citizens of this Caucasian
country. Expressing hearty gratitude to President Saparmurat Niyazov,
the head of diplomatic mission noted that preparation work by the
Armenian Embassy together with the Turkmen Foreign Ministry to send
pardoned Armenian citizens back home is currently under way. The
diplomat also said that the President of Turkmenistan “is equally
merciful toward its own people and citizens of foreign countries.”
Another representative of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ashgabat,
Ambassador of Kazakhstan Vyacheslav Gizzatov, said in an interview to
the TDH that the amnesty is “the expression of high generosity and
humanism.” According to him, several citizens of Kazakhstan will
“return to their families” as a result of this action and “will
be able to take on the path of repent and get down to creative
work.” The Ambassador also stressed that “clemency granted by the
head of Turkmenistan will be never forgotten by relatives and close
friends of the pardoned” and the act of humanism by Saparmyrat Niyazov
“will further strengthen traditional bonds of friendship and good
neighborhood that connect our two friendly peoples from the ancient
times.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress