In the Vitebsk region, more than 2.8 thousand convicts were released under the amnesty
In accordance with the relevant Law of the Republic of Belarus of July 19, 2019, the relevant departments were to prepare to provide assistance to the released persons and their social adaptation.
— For nine months, authorized structures, together with local executive and administrative bodies, labor, employment, and social protection departments, carried out active work to ensure the implementation of this regulatory act, — said Vasily Pashkovsky, head of the department of the regional prosecutor's office. — The decision on the application or non-application of amnesty was made for each person individually, based on the results of studying the materials and clarifying significant circumstances, based on established criteria. Minors; pregnant women; women and single men with minor children; pensioners and disabled persons of group I or II; citizens affected by the Chernobyl disaster could count on release from punishment and other criminal liability measures, in particular.
Obstacles to early release included certain categories of crimes (e.g., murder), including repeated offenses after previous amnesty application, violation of the established penalty enforcement procedure, non-reimbursement of damages caused, alimony arrears or expenses for the maintenance of children under state care, non-payment of income obtained by dishonest means.
— Thanks to the adoption of this law, convicts reimbursed the damages caused by them and paid income obtained through criminal means in the amount of over 1.4 million rubles, — reported Vasily Pashkovsky.
More than 350 people arrived from the penal system institutions for further residence in the Vitebsk region. They were provided with the necessary assistance in resolving issues of housing and employment.