On March 20, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon issued a decree titled "On the Pardon of Persons Sentenced to Imprisonment," under which 897 inmates will be released from further serving their sentences.

The decree was adopted on the occasion of the International Navrouz Holiday and "in accordance with Article 69 of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan."

A brief commentary accompanying the document states that the act of pardon is carried out "based on the principles of humanity, care for families, children, and adolescents."

"On the eve of the International Navrouz Holiday, 897 convicts will be pardoned and released from further serving their sentences.  The decree applies to those convicted of minor, medium, and serious crimes and currently serving their sentences in correctional institutions," the Tajik president’s official website commented.

Tajik state-run news agency Khovar reports that all 897 inmates pardoned by President Emomali Rahmon’s decree on the occasion of Navrouz have been released from correctional facilities.  The prisoners reportedly left institutions in Dushanbe, Vahdat, Khujand, Bokhtar, Nurek, and other cities.

Citing the Ministry of Justice, Khovar news agency reports that a total of 200 people were released, including 53 women, 147 men, and 27 minors, on March 21 and 22.

On March 22, an additional 697 individuals were freed from colonies. Among them were 34 women, 663 men, and 3 minors.  The released prisoners reportedly came from various institutions — high-security, general, and strict-regime colonies, a women’s correctional facility, a juvenile correctional colony, and pre-trial detention centers in Dushanbe, Khujand, and Bokhtar.

Meanwhile, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, reported on March 25 that “most of those released from prison were convicted of bribery, extortion, homosexuality, land sales, theft, and hooliganism — not journalists, civil activists, politicians, or opposition members.”

This is reportedly the conclusion of legal expert Jamshed Yorov.