Uzbekistan set to release 6,000 inmates, reduce sentences

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) -- An amnesty set to release about 6,000 inmates and reduce the prison sentences of 11,000 others was declared in the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

Those to be freed are to include war veterans, inmates over the age of 60, those who committed their crimes when they were minors, women, and international citizens, according to the bill released by President Islam Karimov's office.

The amnesty is linked to Uzbekistan's Sept. 9 Independence Day. It does not allow the release of people convicted of crimes like murder, rape or terrorism.

The authoritarian Karimov has issued periodic large-scale amnesties. Uzbekistan has about 64,000 convicted criminals.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Lonely Planet - Destination Uzbekistan
CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Uzbekistan

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